Sight for sore eyes

You can buy over-the-counter treatments for blepharitis, but it’s advisable to go to your GP. The usual treatment is medicated pads and ointment containing antibiotics, which is applied to the edges of the eyelids with cotton wool.

Sometimes the base of an eyelash follicle will become infected, leading to a stye, a small pus-filled abscess on the rim of the eyelid. It usually forms a head within a couple of days and it will eventually drain spontaneously, but if it is painful, apply warm compresses to help the pus discharge.

Then there are ‘dry eyes’. In the healthy eye, tears wash over the cornea and evaporate or drain away through the tear duct. This gossamer layer of fluid works with the eyelids like a windscreen wiper, washing away bacteria and keeping the eye free of infections.

Ophthmalogists now believe that tear film abnormalities, made worse by lid inflammation, aging, central heating, air conditioning, flying and computer work, lead to dry eyes and a build up of bacteria.

Specialists advise people with ‘dry’ eyes to close their eyes for a few minutes every hour to re-establish the tear film and clean the margin of the lids every day with a moist cotton bud. Blinking quickly and rubbing the eyes helps smear tears across the front of the eye.

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