This inflammation can alter the meibomian gland secretion which lubricates the eye and provoke several symptoms including red eyes, gritty or burning sensation, excessive tearing, swollen eyelids, crusting or matting of eyelashes in the morning, flaking or scaling of the eyelid skin, light sensitivity or blurred vision.
This can be a chronic condition, but fortunately it responds well to good eyelid hygiene. A simple solution is to soak a wash cloth in warm water and place it over the eyes for 30 seconds followed by a lid massage for the same amount of time using the same wash cloth. Gently massage the edge of the eyelids towards the eye with a circular motion. Some physicians recommend lid washing for people with a significant accumulation of debris on the eyelashes. One can use warm water of very dilute baby shampoo placed on a cotton swab to gently clean along the lashes and lid margin to remove the accumulated material One needs to avoid contacting the eye surface or vigorous washing.
Other more aggressive treatments such as topical or oral antibiotics, topical glucocortoids or other medications need to be prescribed by a physician. Further information with pictures can be found at http://bit.ly/mRRRBE.
