Thick Purple Line on both Eyelids

[adam_h]

Hi all,
This seemed to occur not that long ago and over a matter of a few days. Nothing seemed to provoke it whatsoever and yet the condition has stayed.

My eyelids generally feel quite heavy and on closer inspection, the lower part of the eyelids have thick purple lines that are made up of purpleish veins. I have no dry/itchy symptoms, just 'heavy' feeling, my eyes are quite sensitive to light.

Does anyone know what the hell I am talking about? I went to an optometrist who said that he could hardly see it and dismissed it as, 'its just your skin'. But I can feel something is wrong, I do not apply anything to the eyelids, apart from water from the shower, so I do not know what provoked this or indeed, what could resolve this.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
Adam

P.S. Just to add, I find it somewhat strange how both eyelids developed this condition at the same time. Rather curious indeed!

[Melissa W]

Could it be some sort of allergy as it is allergy season and swelling can be a symptom. Do you experience any itching? Do you take any allergy meds? Cool compresses over your eyes may help.

Melissa

[adam_h]

Hi Melissa,
I do not suffer from any allergies that I am aware of. I take no allergy meds. And I experience no itching. Does this sound anything like a symptom of ocular rosacea? Or is it unrelated? I will try the cool compress, thanks.

[Melissa W]

If it is not itchy it is probably not allergy related. See if the cool compresses help at all and if you could post a pic that may give me more info to work with.

Best wishes,
Melissa

[adam_h]

I have taken two pictures of my eyes closed. However, I used my camera phone to do it, so the quality is not great. Suffice it to say, the purple lines look more pronounced in real life.

http://www.villamartin.co.uk/eyes1.jpg
http://www.villamartin.co.uk/eyes2.jpg

And in reference to the itching, my eyelids are never itchy, however, my eye lashes get quite itchy sometimes, also it seems to be at nighttime, if that has any significance. If the pictures are too poor quality then I can always try and borrow someones digital camera.

Thanks Melissa.

All the best,
Adam

[Melissa W]

Adam,

It just looks like the skin is thin ( as it is on the eyelid) there so the blood vessels are showing through. I wish I knew what else it could be. With regard to the lashes I would suggest doing lid scrubs at night before bed to cleanse the lid margins and see if that helps. I like Theralid or Ocusoft premoistened lid scrubs. I use them to remove my mascara at night.

Keep me posted on how you're doing and if you get any other pics I'll see if there is any other info/ideas I can come up with.

Best wishes,
Melissa

PS Have you tried an antihistamine at bedtime for the itchiness? I like benadryl (makes you sleepy) or chlortrimeton (that's what I use).

[adam_h]

I have taken two more at night time, these are also with the camera phone again i'm afraid.

http://www.villamartin.co.uk/night1.jpg
http://www.villamartin.co.uk/night2.jpg

Thanks,
Adam

[adam_h]

That was good timing!

Is it not really strange that it happened to both eyelids at the same time? And, moreover, it only seems to effect nearer the eye lashes, hence the purple line. I have never seen anything like it.

I have heard mites can cause itchy eye lashes and probably inflammation. Could this be the cause? Regarding the itching, it is only slight itching, nothing aggrevating. My eyes just feel a bit heavy and very sensitive to light. Is it anything to do with rosacea? Ocular rosacea?

Thanks

[Melissa W]

Ocular rosacea usually makes your eyes drier and more sensitive to light. So your sensitivity to light can definitely be caused by ocular rosacea. It may be disrupting your tear film and causing that sensitivity to lights(photophobia).

It can also cause blepharitis (bacteria excess and exudates at the lid margin) that may clog lid glands causing styes and chalazions.
In more severe cases ocular rosacea can cause corneal scarring due to excessive dryness.
I am afraid I don't know anything about how it affects the thinness of the lids and hence the blood vessels showing through more prominently.

Do you ever get styes or a foreign body sensation in your eyes?

Melissa

[adam_h]

I do not get styes exactly but I do get something. Maybe I can explain by showing you this picture I found on the internet:

http://www.eye-care-services.com/uploads/stye.jpg

I get a small transparent looking spot sometimes just below the eyelashes where that spot is on that picture. However, it is not puss filled, or certainly doesn't look it, and I have no inflammation around it. When I have one of these it sometimes hurts a bit when I blink but not too much. They usually leave in a day or max 2-3 days. Any idea??