Don’t Let Makeup “Cake-Up”

If your eyeliner leaves you in tears, maybe it’s time to “pencil” in a trip to the eye doctor – you just might have blepharitis.

Blepharitis is a chronic or long-term inflammation of the eyelids and eyelashes, affecting people of all ages. The most common cause is inflammation or dysfunction of the oil-producing glands on the lids. However, poor eyelid hygiene, bacterial infections and allergic reactions from make-up can trigger the condition.

“People may become allergic to components in makeup,” said Stephen Pflugfelder, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine. “If mascara brushes become contaminated, the bacteria is rubbed onto the eyelashes, causing the eyes to become irritated and inflamed,” he said.

Other symptoms of blepharitis include crusty, burning eyelids, a feeling of sand in the eyes and loss of eyelashes.

There is no cure for blepharitis, however the condition can be controlled. Treatment is designed to maintain clean eyelid margins – the areas that come together when the eyes are closed.

To treat blepharitis, Pflugfelder recommends:

• Clean eyelids with gentle commercial soaps or gentle eyelid cleansers.
• For bacterial causes, antibiotic drops and ointments may control the condition.
• Cortisone drops may also relieve symptoms such as redness, burning, itching and irritation.
• Oral tetracycline antibiotics are very useful for treating blepharitis due to oil gland disease.
• If blepharitis is left untreated, complications can result, including dry eye, blurred vision or corneal scarring.

“Regular eye examinations are the best prevention for eye diseases,” Pflugfelder said. “Some symptoms go unnoticed until the eye has suffered damage, but with early detection and treatment, sight loss can be prevented.”

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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