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Blepharitis is a very common cause of itching, dry and uncomfortable eyes which may result in swollen and reddened or crusted eyelids as shown below.
I’m always surprised at how many of our patients end up going to the Eye Hospital for emergency care because of it. Both Jay and I regularly explain to patients with Blepharitis that lid cleaning, heat masks and massage will control it. However, some people ignore this advice until it gets really uncomfortable and they seek medical attention. Patients are often advised to:
Clean their lids regularly - usually with baby shampoo (although no medical trials show this to be effective and it destroys the tear film); and
Use a hot flannel (to be effective it needs to be kept at a constant temperature above 38 degrees for 10-15 minutes).
Neither of these procedures really work effectively. The NHS only recommends this treatment because it doesn’t need a prescription. Take control of your blepharitis today with our full home care package and consider regular Blephex treatments.
Blephex is now available in practice at a price of £65 per session. BlephEx™ is a painless procedure performed by your eyecare professional. A revolutionary new patented BlephEx™ hand piece is used to spin a medical grade micro-sponge along the edge of your eyelids and lashes (very precisely and carefully) removing scurf and debris and exfoliating your eyelids. The patented micro-sponge is disposable and a clean one is used for each individual eyelid so bacteria is not spread between the lids. The eyes are rinsed well afterwards.The procedure lasts about 6 - 8 minutes and is well tolerated. Most patients simply report a tickling sensation. A numbing drop is usually placed in each eye prior to treatment for increased comfort. This procedure will improve your symptoms almost immediately.
More importantly, by completely removing the exotoxin-laden biofilm along the lid margin you avoid or reduce the long-term inflammatory damage to your tear glands, preventing chronic dry eye syndrome.
Multiple studies show that Blephex combined with effective home treatments (such as microwaveable eye masks and specialist lid cleaners) are really effective at controlling blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction leading to much more comfortable eyes.
Contact us today for help and information.