| At Gerry & Johnson
we believe that successful contact lens wear is often
determined by the quality of your tear film. One of
the simplest ways to ensure a good tear film is to maintain
good eyelid hygiene.
Our eyelids are very important in maintaining a good
tear film. This is achieved through the proper functioning
of the glands in our eyelids. It is these glands that
secrete oil into our tears that stop our tears from
drying out. If our eyelids do not function properly
then poor tear quality can result, leading to red, irritable
or stinging eyes. This is often due to either blockage
or mild infection of the glands in our eyelids.
Poor eyelid hygiene is a very common problem in Australia.
Generally the symptoms relate to irritable eyes. Symptoms
can include red eyes, itchy eyes, stinging eyes, uncomfortable
contact lenses, dry eyes, and eyes that are sensitive
to light.
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This photo
demonstrates the glands along the eyelid margin
which become infected with bacteria. It is important
to use heat to open these glands to m ake cleaning
them more effective. This is also why it is important
not to close your eyelids tightly as you will not
be able to clean them correctly. |
Generally, working in a dirty environment or wearing
makeup are the main causes of poor lid hygiene for most
people. Whilst for other people an unstable chemical
composition in their eyelids and sebaceous glands can
be the cause of infection. The infection comes from
the bacteria that live naturally in our tears and on
our eyelids. Essentially these bacteria just get out
of control. When eyelid hygiene not controlled, small
lesions can develop on the eyelids. These are commonly
called ‘sties’.
To keep the glands in our eyelids clean and prevent
blockage and mild infection all we need to do is keep
them clean. To clean you eyelids you need to prepare
some diluted Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo (the
‘no more tears’ version). This is diluted
using warm water, with one part shampoo to five parts
water.
You now need to follow these next steps:
- Rinse your eyelids with warm water
- Dip an old face washer into the solution of shampoo
and water
- Gently close your eyes
- Scrub your eyelids back and forth about twenty
times so that you produce a good lather
- Rinse the shampoo solution off with warm water.
You need to follow these steps daily for at least one
week, and then continue to do so once a week.
If you wear makeup you may find that you need to do
this procedure more frequently.
Due to having had an eyelid problem for some time,
some people may find that they need to clean their eyelids
for longer periods.
If you are not finding success with this procedure,
please contact any of the staff and arrange an appointment
with one of our optometrists.
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