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Eye Care (Expert Forum)
Can crying cause eyelids to swell if you have seborrheic dermatitis?
Our Ask A Doctor Ophthalmology Forum is where you can post your question and receive a personal answer from physicians affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Can crying cause eyelids to swell if you have seborrheic dermatitis?
by tmv, Jun 08, 2007 12:00AM
Hi there and thank you in advance for helping me with this question. I have seborrheic dermatitis. It get's really bad around both eyes with the scaling, burning, redness, etc. My question is: Is it normal with sd to swell greatly in both upper and lower lids after crying or does this sound like something else altogether? I lost my dear dog of 14 years and my eyes were almost swelled shut. I iced the areas and it took 3 days to totally resolve. Then I had tons of scaling.Thank you again.
Doctor's Answer
by AAO-MD-RB, Jun 08, 2007 12:00AM
, Jun 08, 2007 12:00AM
Dear TMV,
Thank you for your question.
Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic condition of the lids and adjacent skin around the eyes. The condition varies depending upon overall state of health, season and diligence of treatment. Control is by lid scrub cleaning, topical heat and the use of lipid altering antibiotics such as tetracycline supplemented with topical antiinflammatory steroids such as Desonide. When less well managed, there is focal edema and redness which can obstruct lymphatic outflow, causing local swelling. Crying is a common underpinning for this, and protracted crying in the presence of poorly controlled dermatitis can lead to additional obstructive swelling. It appears as if this was the case here. The dermatitis can be managed although not cured and management is quite effective if done diligently. This would limit any swelling from prolonged crying.
I hope this is helpful to you.
AAO-MD-RB
Thank you for your question.
Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic condition of the lids and adjacent skin around the eyes. The condition varies depending upon overall state of health, season and diligence of treatment. Control is by lid scrub cleaning, topical heat and the use of lipid altering antibiotics such as tetracycline supplemented with topical antiinflammatory steroids such as Desonide. When less well managed, there is focal edema and redness which can obstruct lymphatic outflow, causing local swelling. Crying is a common underpinning for this, and protracted crying in the presence of poorly controlled dermatitis can lead to additional obstructive swelling. It appears as if this was the case here. The dermatitis can be managed although not cured and management is quite effective if done diligently. This would limit any swelling from prolonged crying.
I hope this is helpful to you.
AAO-MD-RB
