A Comprehensive Guide to Blepharitis: Symptoms and Prevention

Blepharitis Symptoms

Blepharitis is a common eye condition that causes inflammation of the eyelids. It can cause red, itchy, and flaky eyelids and even lead to eyelash loss.

The most common symptoms of blepharitis are:

• Feeling like there’s something in your eye
• Burning or stinging eyes
• Watery eyes
• Itchy eyes
• Sensitivity to light
• Red and swollen eyes or eyelids
• Tears that are foamy or have small bubbles in them
• Dry eyes
• Crusty eyelids or eyelashes when you wake up

In some cases, the condition can progress to the point of causing vision problems due to irritation of the cornea, but this is rare.

• Redness: It is one of the main symptoms of inflammation in the skin. Since the eyelids are very thin, redness will be noticeable right away. It happens because the blood vessels dilate in response to inflammatory cytokines.
• Itching and burning sensation: These are common symptoms of inflammation, but they are more commonly found in allergic blepharitis. It happens because nerve terminals are stimulated by inflammatory cytokines and send pain sensations to the brain.
• Scaly or flaky eyelids: These symptoms are prevalent in blepharitis caused by seborrheic dermatitis, and the triggers are similar. These scales or flakes are formed by oily secretion with dead skin cells and debris, which can also clog the meibomian glands and worsen the problem.
• Tearing of the eyes: The eyes are extremely sensitive organs, and one of the defense mechanisms is producing tears when there’s inflammation or a foreign object. That’s why patients with blepharitis produce more tears than usual in an attempt to clear the infection or flush the foreign object causing inflammation.
• Pustules: In some cases, patients with blepharitis can develop a white collection of pus in their eyelids, known as pustules. These collections can also break and turn into an ulcer as a complication. This is known as ulcerative blepharitis and can be further complicated by over-infection.
• Waking up with your eyes glued together: The increased secretions in your eyelids can collect during the night and dry out, causing a sensation of gluing the eyes when you wake up.