Your eye lids are folds of skin protecting the eyes from dirt, debris and injury. The eye lids also contain oil glands in the hair follicles that make up your eye lashes. Irritation or inflammation of the eye lids near the eye lashes may sometimes occur, leading to a disorder known as blepharitis or eye lid inflammation. This is a common eye disorder which manifests as irritation and inflammation of the eye lids due to an allergy, infection or a skin disease. It usually affects the part of the eye lid where the eye lashes grow, when oil glands of the eye lids get clogged.

Blepharitis may develop due to a bacterial infection in the eye, hormone imbalance, allergies or malfunctioning oil glands. It can also occur as an allergic reaction to certain make-up products, having eye lash mites or lice or as side effect to a medication.

Blepharitis can take place along the front of the eye (anterior blepharitis) or within the eye lids (posterior blepharitis). You may develop both types of blepharitis at the same time, though it may be more severe on one side than on the other.

If left untreated, blepharitis may lead to other complications with your eyes, such as dry eyes, scarring on your eyes, falling out of eye lashes, recurrent conjunctivitis, <corneal infections> or sty (which is an eye infection leading to a lump at the base of the eye lashes).

When to seek expert advise

Keeping your eyes clean will help you manage some of these symptoms. However, if your symptoms are getting worse, interfere with your vision and affect your ability to perform daily tasks, you must get yourself evaluated by an ophthalmologist (eye specialist).

The team of ophthalmologists working with the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at The Aga Khan University Hospital is specially trained in the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders, including blepharitis. You can be assured of receiving multidisciplinary healthcare under one roof from our dedicated staff who works tirelessly to give you the complete healthcare services as per your need.

Disclaimer

The information provided on our website is for educational purposes and not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should always seek the advice of your doctor or other healthcare professional provider.