Clinical procedures
Your doctor might undergo some newer procedures in their office. These include:
- Lipiflow, which warms up the lids and expresses the unhealthy oils.
- Intense Pulsed Light therapy, [3] which involves the application of bright red light pulses to your eyelid skin.
- BlephEx, which involves cleaning your eyelid margins.
Complications of blepharitis
You can’t cure blepharitis. However, there are ways to treat and manage through proper eyelid hygiene. If left untreated, blepharitis may lead to other more serious eye conditions, including corneal problems, which may be significant.
Complications include:
- Chalazion: A chalazion [4] is a small, painless eyelid bump/swelling.
- Eyelid issues: Eyelashes may shed, grow in odd directions or lighten because of chronic blepharitis.
- Corneal ulcer (keratitis): A sore in the cornea that occurs due to prolonged infection or eyelid swelling.
- Pink eye (conjunctivitis): [5] Some types of blepharitis may turn into chronic pink eye.
- Sty (stye): A sty (stye) is a red, painful eyelid bump near your eyelashes. [6]
- Tear film issues: Tears are a delicate mixture of water, oil, and mucus that keep your eyes wet and shielded. You may experience dry eyes or excessive crying if skin or greasy debris builds up and irritates them. The eyelid margin’s healthy oils assist prevent the tears from evaporating. When blepharitis makes you expel harmful oils, dry eyes can get worse.