Blepharitis treatment as well as care of other eyelid conditions such as Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), dry eye and chalazion’ are offered at Orbit Eye Centre with the use of top of the line technology and expertise of our eye doctors.
Our Lid Care Clinic (LCC) offers eye stye treatments as well as an at-home tool kit that help patients prevent the formation of styes and other eyelid conditions by keeping eyelids clean and healthy.
All of these problems are interrelated and any of them may require professional treatment with BlephEx. Blepharitis is inflammation along the eyelids and it often leads to styes, chalazia, and less oil secreted in your tears. With less oil, your tears dry out faster and you get dry eyes. And, corneal infections are more common when your eyes dry out too fast.
Styes are red, painful bumps on the eyelid edge. They are infections of the Meibomian Glands (oil glands) of the eyelid. They happen when the gland gets blocked and can be more common with chronic blepharitis. Many people have had a stye that went away in a couple of weeks. Applying a warm, moist compress to the eye helps clear up many styes. However, some people keep getting styes and the styes do not respond to home treatment. When this happens to you, come to Orbit Eye Centre for an evaluation, we can help you with this condition.
Note: Styes usually are caused by blepharitis but they are more common if you touch your eyes without washing your hands, forget to clean your contact lenses before putting them in, routinely leave your eye makeup on overnight, or have rosacea dermatitis.
A Chalazion is a larger lump that is due to blockage of one of the Meibomian oil glands on the eyelid. These are typically not painful but may be infected. You will get this problem when your oil gland secretions are thick and do not flow well. As with styes, you may get this problem and it may go away simply by applying warm, moist packs to your eye. Butwhen this becomes a chronic problem it can blur your vision if it is on the inner aspect of the eyelid. This is usually a result of chronic blepharitis.
All of these conditions can be traced back to problems with the Meibomian glands, reduced oil secretions in your tears, and dry eyes. The correct treatment includes routine eyelid cleaning to remove the accumulated infected debris that causes these conditions to become chronic.
Here is where BlephEx treatment can help. Its full name is microblepharo exfoliation. Prior to treatment, a protective shield is placed in your eye to protect them while your lid margins are exfoliated with a lid-cleaning solution and a rotating surgical sponge. This is a professional therapy that provides results far superior to even the most diligent home treatment regimes.
This treatment removes the polysaccharide biofilm and debris that builds up with chronic infection. With the removal of bacteria and debris from your eyelids, the oil glands function better, oil secretions in your tears are improved, and inflammation is reduced or stopped.
This is a brief treatment carried out in the clinic, usually in conjunction with other treatments. You may experience minimal eye redness afterwards, but you may use artificial tears if it lasts more than just a day.
Afterward, it is important to continue good eye hygiene and we can discuss with you how to do it. BlephEx treatment typically results in substantial improvement but may need to be repeated every three to six months. Using professional-grade eye drops is also important after BlephEx treatment. You will learn which ones are best after your treatment. To maintain your improvement, Dr. Punja may suggest that you take an Omega-3 supplement to reduce inflammation or consider Lumina IPL therapy which is an advanced light treatment that also reduces inflammation.
Dr. Karim Punja, an Ophthalmologist at the Calgary Orbit Eye Centre, specializes in oculoplastic surgery and cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery. He has extensive experience in blepharoplasty (droopy eyelids), Botox & fillers, lacrimal & orbital surgery, and cataract surgery.
Dr. Chirag Shah is a comprehensive Ophthalmologist in Calgary and retinal medical specialist. His practice areas focus on retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal detachments, retinopathy of prematurity (blinding retinal disease in premature babies), diabetic retinopathy, hereditary eye diseases, and hypertensive retinopathy.
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