While the health of your actual eyeballs plays an important part in ocular health, the eyelids offer a lot of importance as well. When your eyelids suffer from a disease, you could find yourself dealing with a wide range of symptoms that impact the way you see every day. One condition that could impact your eyelids and eventually your eyes is ocular rosacea.
Ocular rosacea can occur in anyone, and an ophthalmologist can offer both diagnosis and treatment options for the condition. Learn more about ocular rosacea and how to move forward with treatment options for the disease.
Standard Rosacea and Ocular Rosacea
Chances are, you've already heard of standard rosacea in the face. Rosacea can cause inflamed cheeks, red cheeks, and breakouts on the face. Ocular rosacea is essentially the same thing but on a much smaller scale. Many people who have the standard form of rosacea will notice the rosacea spreads to the eyelids.
In other cases, ocular rosacea may start on the eyelids and spread to the rest of the face. Some patients will also develop only ocular rosacea and not see the more common version on their face at all. The process differs by person, so you have no direct pattern to follow. You are better off monitoring your own skin to see if progress occurs or if a pattern forms.
Most Common Symptoms and Signs
When your eyelids swell from ocular rosacea, the swelling will cause the oil glands to clog up. You may notice your eyes become teary and pool up with tears on the bottom. You may also notice your eyes feel extremely dry and itchy. You could have a sensation that feels like sand is in the eye every time you blink.
The inflamed eyelids could also impact your eyes. You may form a sensitivity to light. The eyes may feel extremely dry and look bloodshot. When you wake up in the morning, you may have excess crust or goop in the eyelashes.
Despite the irritation and pain, avoid excessive rubbing or pressing on the eyelids. You could make the condition and symptoms worse.
Treatment Options
When you see an eye doctor for ocular rosacea, you will have many treatment options to consider. First, a doctor will perform an eye exam to look closely at the lids and the glands. In some cases, some mites may live on the eyelashes and present the cause of blocked glands. In other cases, the eye doctor may see tear formations or possible damage to address.
Medicated eye drops typically provide the most common treatment option for the eyes. A doctor may first start off with a low-dose steroid eye drop. The drops are intended to stop the redness and swelling of the eyelid so the glands clear out and the eyes can heal properly.
An eye doctor may also prescribe an antibiotic drop. The antibiotics will also help reduce redness and any infection currently present in your eyelid. Unfortunately, ocular rosacea has no cure. The issues can flare up at any time, and an eye doctor will provide you with the best treatment options to manage symptoms.
In many cases, you will have multiple follow-up appointments to help treat your eyes and check the progress of the treatment. If the ocular rosacea expands to the rest of your face, then a doctor may refer you to a dermatologist for further treatment options. A pill or cream could help in those situations.
If you think you may have ocular rosacea, make an appointment with us at Calvert Ophthalmology Center. We can perform a full exam of your eyes and provide multiple treatment options to reduce the symptoms and pain you currently have.
