Red, Cracked, Itchy, Cracked eyelids

[turemcture]

Ok, so i've searched many sites and threads regarding similar issues but i figured i'd start my own b/c it seems that it  may differ from other issues. This issue has been bothering me for over a year now. What happens is the skin around my eyes, above and below becomes very red. The skin all around the eye becomes dry, flakey, and itchy, and the upper eyelid eventually becomes cracked and, for instance, when i run, the sweat makes my eyelid burn.

I don't wear any makeup and for the better part of the time ive been washing my face with Cethaphil facewash. If i use any lotion on my face its Neutrgena oil-free for sensitive skin, but a the same time i try to avoid the area around my eyes. I also take daily claritan and vitamins. I've gone to the doctor several times for this and i was told it was an allergy to something. Tried changing soaps, detergents, monitoring my diet, and the other standard reccomendations to no avail. I recently moved to Japan a couple months ago, and have completely changed pretty much anything i've previously used on my body, as well as my diet so i hoped that maybe that what was agrravating me before would no longer be present, but that is not the case.

My doctor once prescribed a steroid ointment, Desonide. It does help clear it up temporarily. The instructions say to stop using it once the condition has cleared up, but only a day or two without using it and the condition pretty much always returns. I would love any advice anyone may have.

[venuschild]

I had similar issue, the corners of my eyes extending into the larger part of my eyelids suddenly became swollen, red, irritated.  I was at a loss to what was causing this issue.  I do have sensitive skin and sometime develop allergies to products I've used for years, so it can be a real mystery.  I found this forum and read lot of posts, trying to self diagnose.  In my case, I lived with it for about a week, trying compresses, OTC eye ointments, eczema creams, etc and finally just went to my eye doctor.

My eye doctor immediately diagnosed as an eye allergy (he said there was strong inflammation on the inside of my eyelids) and gave me Bepreve eye drops and a steroid cream, also taking oral Benadryl pills.  All immediately worked and brought my eyes back to normal.  I have narrowed down that I believe I've developed an allergy to my contact lenses.  Do you wear contacts??  I read on online medical advice wesite that you can have an allergy to the protein buildup on contacts as well.  Either way, I think I'll be switching to disposable lenses and hopefully that will take care of the problem long term.

This is just my personal experience.  However, if this is irritating you - go see your doctor.  It was a little pricey -but I wasted money on OTC treatments that weren't helping the cause of my irritation.  I would recommend seeing eye doctor first, because they can really inspect the inside of your eyes to see what is going on.  My doctor said if the remedies had not worked, I should see allergist.

I hope this is helpful to someone!  Good luck

[srenee615]

Hi !
I too have this crappy condition. It just came on over the summer. I was recently diagnosed with blepharitis and am trying to treat it with warm compresses, etc. I did find a good, natural product that pretty much takes away the redness. It;s called EMU gency first aid stick. It's emu oil and lots of other natural goodies. I haven't been wearing any eye make up (you may be allergic to make up). I bought this product at a health food store (Super Supplements) for only $6. I put it on in the morning and before I go to bed. In less than two weeks, the redness (and most of the itching) is 95% gone!! The product comes out of Montana. If you can't find it in Japan, try online. I am amazed how much it has helped. I previously had tried benedryl cream (made my eyes redder) and Vit. E. oil, which didn't take away the red or itch but helped keep moisturized. This problem ***** I know!! Good luck!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

1. Use the search feature and look up "blepharitis". That's the most common cause of this problem.
2. Use Occusoft foam eyelid cleaner to clean your lids and prevent buildup of oil and debris in which Staphylococcus growns.
3. If your eyelid gets dry use Refresh-PM ointment on it.
4. If you have a bad flare up use the steroid for a short period of time.

JCH MD