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Optimum
Eye Lid Care
By
Shelley I. Cutler,
OD, FAAO
Introduction
The eyelids have
several glands within them. It is important that they function properly
in order for your tears to do their job…to wet
your eye.
The majority of these
glands are called the Meibomian glands. There are about 25 openings to
the upper lid and about 20 to the lower lid.
If you look carefully at your eye margins, you may see the little holes
or openings.
If these glands get
clogged or do not function properly, you may experience burning,
stinging or even watering of your eyes.
The sebum (the fluid
secreted from the Meibomian glands) should be the consistency of
vegetable oil. If it thickens, it becomes more like
margarine and cannot exit the glands properly and you may have some or
all of the above complaints.
The following is a
very simple, but effective way to allow your Meibomian glands to
function properly.
Warm
Compresses and Lid Massage
By placing moist heat
over the eyes, this allows any hardened gland material to soften.
(Just as if you were melting butter.)
Instructions:
Place a clean
washcloth under the spigot and wet with warm water. The warmer,
the better, but make sure it’s not too hot to be
uncomfortable. Close your eyes and hold over the eyelids.
Keep replacing under warm water to restore heat.
Hold against the
eyelids for several minutes: (2-5 minutes) the longer, the
better.
Open your eyes and
gently rub around the eyelids in a circular manner, pressing towards
the Meibomian gland openings as if to press some
gland fluid out. Try not to press too hard on the eyeball itself.
Lid
Hygiene
After performing warm
compresses and massage, take a damp Q-tip (initially wet it under the
tap and squeeze out the excess water in
between your fingers), place 1-2 drops of the recommended eyelid soap
on it and again squeeze out any excess in between
your fingers. The idea is to NOT have soap dripping off the Q-tip but a
dilute version on it.
Recommended Eyelid
soap: __ (Your eye doc will tell
you)
Place the Q-tip on your lower lid margin where the eyelashes come out
and stroke it back and forth lightly (2-3 times) over the
Meibomian gland openings. (Ladies, this is as if you are applying
eyeliner to above the eyelashes, not below).
On the upper lids, close the eye and rub above the lashes. If you
attempt under the lashes to get the upper lid gland openings, there
is a good possibility that you may poke yourself in the eye.
DO IT GENTLY! You do not want to rub the skin raw.
You just want to introduce the soap there to clean any of the excess sebum that may
be remaining from the massage. Rinse well with water.
Then flush the eye
with non-preserved artificial tears.
Recommended tears:
__(Your eye doc will
tell you)
Add this simple, but
effective, routine at the same time you wash your face and brush your
teeth and you should
start experiencing more comfortable lens wear.
Initially do twice a
day, morning and evening with all make-up removed. As symptoms
disappear, it can be done in the evening only.
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