What to Do About Dry Eye Lids

Dry eye lids, or blepharitis, can be a painful but rarely serious condition. Blepharitis develops when oil glands at the base of the eyelashes cease to work correctly, causing bacterial growth, which can lead to dry and itchy eyes. This may lead to your eyes or eyelids constantly looking irritated and feeling as though something is on the inside of your eyelid. Although chronic, blepharitis is not vision-threatening.

Clean Your Lids

• Take a teaspoon of baby shampoo and dilute it in one pint of water. Place a few cotton balls in the mixture, letting them soak for about a minute. Put the cotton balls on your eyelids for about four to five minutes. Use the cotton balls to clean the lower lid of each eye by washing away any scales that have formed near your eyelashes. Repeat this process twice a week. Go to your ophthalmologist before beginning any regimen, however, as he may have special medications or advise you to clean your eyelids more or less often.

Watch Your Diet

• If you have problems with excessively dry eyelids, try avoiding saturated fats and transfats for a while and see what happens. Incorporate flax seed and fish oil into your diet by purchasing supplements at your health food store. Dr. Jeffrey P. Gilbard of Andover, Massachusetts, recommends that you add these to your diet, as a 2003 study at the Harvard School of Public Health found that increasing fish and flax seed oil while decreasing transfat and saturated-fat consumption promotes tear production.

Eye Drops

• Purchase eye lubricants over the counter and see if that helps. Follow the directions carefully.

Discontinue Products That May Be Harmful

• If eye drops and a cleaning regimen don't help, look for other irritants. Stop using eye shadow, eyelash curlers, eye liner and foundation, switch shampoos and soaps, and use hair dye without p-phenylenediamine. Try the elimination method, avoiding a specific product for a week to see how your body reacts. If you find a marked improvement after discontinuing a product, you may have found your culprit.

Antibiotic Creams

• Talk to your doctor about antibiotic creams. These may be necessary if your eyes are extremely irritated and other methods such as cleaning your eyelids do not work. Your doctor may be able to prescribe a antibiotic cream.