yellow crusty eyelids

[jning]

Hi, I just recently started realizing I have rosacea. I am now 21. My eyes started to feel dry and irritated few days ago. I am on a very alkalizing diet, I flush less, but more at night. My eyes and face would turn red and itchy especially at night. For the last two days, I've been waking up with yellow crusty all over my eyes to a point where it was difficult to open them. Now it is red and swollen during the day too. Any ideas how to solve this problem without antibiotics?

[Melissa W]

Hi jning,

Yellow and crusty does sound like it may be bacterial. It sounds like blepharitis.
First off, you should gently cleanse your lid margins with either baby shampoo and water (1 part shampoo to 9 parts water) or OTC lid scrubs like ocusoft or theralid. You should do this upon awakening and before you go to sleep each night. This will help decrease the overpopulation of bacteria at your lid margins causing the yellow goopy stuff.

Then you should use preservative-free rewetting drops throughout the day to cleanse your tear film of debris and moisturize your eyes.

Keep us posted on how you do and good luck.

Best wishes,
Melissa

[Twickle Purple]

Folding up a cool damp faceclothe and placing it over your eyes is very soothing and can help to relieve the itch.

Good luck with this!

[jning]

it seems like the yellow crusty discharge appear at night, less during the day. I am washing my eyelids more often now, and see how it goes.

[nwc]

i get this sometimes.

if i don't have perscription eye drops...

and if i need to and doesn't go away on it's own...

i washed my eyelids with baby shampoo twice a day. then got q-tips and wetted the tip with water and pulled out my lower and upper eyes lids and wiped all the way across a couple times each with different tips to help capture the bacteria. then rewashed with the baby shampoo.

if blocked tear duct is also a problem then i use hot wash clothes 3-5 times a day for 10-20 mins each.