Blepharitis is often a long-term, chronic condition, but symptoms can improve within weeks with consistent eyelid cleaning, though flare-ups can recur, requiring ongoing daily or regular maintenance hygiene to manage, with severe cases sometimes needing antibiotics for months for full control. Acute, easily treated cases might resolve in a few weeks, but chronic cases need long-term commitment to lid hygiene to keep it under control.
Blepharitis is a chronic (long-term) condition. This means that once you have had it, it can come back even after it has cleared up. It normally affects both eyes. You can usually treat it by keeping your eyelids clean.
Self care
Treating blepharitis in children focuses on eyelid hygiene: warm compresses (5-10 mins) to loosen crusts, followed by gentle scrubbing of the lash base with diluted baby shampoo or specific eyelid wipes, and rinsing. Massaging eyelids helps unblock oil glands. For persistent cases or infections, doctors might prescribe antibiotic ointments, drops, or oral antibiotics, plus artificial tears or treatments for underlying conditions like dandruff, but the core treatment is consistent cleaning.
Blepharitis is inflammation or swelling of the edge of the eyelid. It is usually caused because the oil glands in the eyelid produce oil that is thicker than normal that causes the glands to become blocked. It can cause the eyelid redness and tearing. Blepharitis is a common cause of styes.
What causes blepharitis? Most of the time, blepharitis happens because you have too much bacteria on your eyelids at the base of your eyelashes. Having bacteria on your skin is normal, but too much bacteria can cause problems. You can also get blepharitis if the oil glands in your eyelids get clogged or irritated.
Chronic blepharitis is more persistent and requires ongoing management. This form often stems from underlying conditions like meibomian gland dysfunction or seborrheic dermatitis. While symptoms may fluctuate, chronic cases can last months or even years without proper care.
Most children with blepharitis will have repeated episodes and then have long periods of time with no symptoms until they outgrow the problem.
Blepharitis can be confused with other conditions such as ocular rosacea, episcleritis, herpetic keratitis, or conjunctivitis (pink eye). UT Southwestern ophthalmologists have advanced training and experience in evaluating patients with symptoms of eye conditions to confirm a diagnosis.
There is no cure for blepharitis, but establishing a daily eyelid-cleaning routine can help control the symptoms and any dryness can be treated with artificial tear drops. Lid cleaning often needs to be continued indefinitely to prevent recurrence.
You may be able to unclog a meibomian gland through self-care like warm compresses and massage. There are instrument- and machine-based options that are available to your provider. These alternatives to self-care include things like: Machines that warm your eyelids and melt the dried or hard meibum.
Many medications are available for blepharitis, including antibiotics and steroids (cortisone), in drop or ointment form. While cortisone medications often bring quick relief of symptoms, long-term use can cause some harmful side effects.
Skin conditions (such as rosacea) or eye ailments (such as dry eye) can lead to blepharitis recurring more often. In these cases, certain pills, skin creams, or eye drops for dry eyes may help.
Those that stare at a computer screen for large periods of time throughout the day are also more prone to blepharitis, especially when sitting in an air-conditioned room or office.
Common symptoms of blepharitis include: Eyelid redness, swelling, or painful tenderness. Foreign body sensation that is sandy or gritty.
Blepharitis comes from inflammation of the eyelids, often due to an overgrowth of Staphylococcus bacteria, blocked oil (meibomian) glands, or Demodex mites, linked to skin conditions like dandruff (seborrheic dermatitis) or rosacea, allergies, or poor eye hygiene, leading to crusty, red, irritated eyelids. It's a multifactorial condition, meaning several factors can contribute, and the exact cause isn't always clear, but it involves bacterial issues, oil gland dysfunction, and sometimes parasites.
Rubbing your eyelids may make the inflammation worse, so try to avoid doing this. As mentioned above, blepharitis commonly develops in people with seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea or dry eye syndrome. If relevant, treatment of these other conditions may also help to ease symptoms of blepharitis.
Blepharitis progresses through stages, generally moving from initial inflammation and mild crusting (Stage 1) to blocked meibomian glands and swelling (Stage 2). Further progression involves increased crusting, lash misdirection, and inflammation (Stage 3), leading to severe dry eye, lash loss, and potential eyelid structural changes like entropion or ectropion in advanced cases (Stage 4).
When this happens, both eyes are often affected and the condition is usually chronic, but not infectious. Though it is not so severe as to cause blindness, blepharitis can interfere with the daily life and impact your personality.
The symptoms of blepharitis may be present in one eye or in both. For most people, the symptoms are the worst in the morning.
Always consult with your primary care physician or eye care specialist for personalized advice tailored to your specific condition. With the right care and attention, you can continue to enjoy the pleasures of swimming, even with blepharitis.
A GP might suggest using an antibiotic cream or ointment that you rub on your eyelid if your blepharitis does not clear up after cleaning your eyelids regularly. If blepharitis has caused other problems, such as a lump of fluid under the skin (cyst), antibiotic eyedrops or tablets may be recommended.
In my experience, certain foods may trigger blepharitis. These include processed or fried foods, sugar, white flour and fizzy drinks tends to aggravate the condition. I have also found that a varied diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and high intake of natural Omega-3 containing foods helps reduce flare-ups.
Hormonal Changes: Blepharitis may also be caused by hormonal changes, such as those that take place during pregnancy or age. Hormones may affect skin health and oil production, increasing the risk of the disorder.