Painful eyes

[trytobehappytalking]

Hi all, happy 🆕 year. Hope 2022 is a better one, it had better be 🤗☺️. I have blepharitis but of recently have had extremely dry, itchy and painful eyes. Does anyone think it's fibromyalgia causing this?

Thanks 😊

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

I would suspect it is more likely to be the blepharitis causing your symptoms than fibromyalgia. Hubby and mum both have blepharitis and have these symptoms with it

[Blearyeyed]

Happy and hopeful New Year to you too.Dry and Itchy eyes are quite common symptoms and blepharitis can be one of the many conditions that people with Fibromyalgia can have more often than others.

Have you been given any medical help or advice from your GP?

You might benefit from some gel tears or eye drops to reduce the symptoms or a night eye gel , these can also help when the blepharitis clears up to help your general eye health if you suffer from sore eyes a lot as part of your Fibro.

You do need to consult with your GP and get a prescription or find out which OTT drop is more suitable for you if you use other medications or also suffer from any hypersensitivity or allergy problems.

In the meantime you can get some natural relief using boiled , cooled water in an eye bath to wash your eyes and keep them clean. Just make sure you are careful to clean the eye bath between use on each eye so that any irritants or infections don't pass from one eye to another.

Relax in a chair or on the bed and use a warm damp cloth over your eye area to soothe it .

Try not to rub your eyes.

Reduce your screen time and reading while it is bad , tired , busy eyes dry out more because you blink less so it can make your symptoms worse.

Drink more water as blepharitis is a type of inflammation and the body uses more fluids as it tries to recover .

Extra vitamins and minerals in your diet , by food or a supplement with your meals can help maintain your skin and eye health.

Hope you feel better soon.

[trytobehappytalking in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thanks very much for your help 💖. I use cleansing wipes, my gp has prescribed day drops and a gel for nights. Inspite of doing this religiously, 4 wks ago both eyes were very sore, itchy, gritty & painful 😣. Went to AE at eye hospital in London, pressure was good but there was inflammation both eyes, doctor gave inflammatory drops for 2 wks, then had a stye in left eye, like u say, doctor advised not to use wipes for short while but use warm compress. If not much improvement ask gp to refer to cornea clinic which he's done, so waiting for appt. You're right, doctor advised to drink more water which I'm doing. Does it mean my fibro is exasperating the blepharitis?X

[Blearyeyed in reply to trytobehappytalking]

You could just be a person whom was more likely to get blepharitis and dry eyes , Fibro can make these conditions more common to us although how badly you get a bout of it is much the same.I have dry eye/ sicca syndrome as well which causes blepharitis and I get occasional uvietis so I know from experience that eye conditions can sometimes take a while to clear up. Glad to hear you are going to the eye clinic , hopefully they will rule out other things and you will just be given some stronger eye drops or another treatment.

Try not to use cleanser wipes or make up remover wipes around your eyes if you get dry eyes quite often , the chemicals are very drying and can irritate your eyes causing a new eye infection or blepharitis to occur.

I get a more natural based eye drop on prescription called Celluvist. It comes in one wash little bullets and is created more like the water if the eye. Its an expensive treatment though so you need to ask for them to try , and you may not be able to get them every month on prescription without being diagnosed with Red Eye or Dry Eye Syndrome. I also get Hylo Night gel with vitamin A to lubricate and nourish my eyelids at night.

When your blepharitis has cleared up it might be a good idea to get an eye clinic appointment to give you a Schirmer Test for dry eye conditions, this is a bit uncomfortable ( they put a piece of litmus paper on your eyelid then time how long it takes to soak up the water ). If you a positive for Dry Eye Syndrome you can get more help with it on prescription. The compresses and reducing screen time or using products on your eyes do reduce the amount of times you get blepharitis in my experience.

The winter weather is as drying to the eyes as the summer because of the cold and wind so its worth wearing some sort of eye protection if you are outdoors for sometime as well.

[trytobehappytalking in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thanks 👍. 6 years ago I had the schimers test to see if I've got Sjögren's but it was clear but I do have the dry eye syndrome. The consultant advised Theo Duo drops which are in small vials & Xailin gel for nights. As of recent weeks I've been advised to use the drops every hour but eyes still very dry.

I use a Blephaclean wipes to clear the blepharitis.

Do you get Hylo Night gel & Celluvist on prescription?

[trytobehappytalking in reply to trytobehappytalking]

Hi blearyeyedHope youre well. Are you London based?

[Jockabenny]

Hya I’ve had blepharitus for years and have eye drops from hospital but six months ago my eyes got really itchy sore n more drier I purchased over thE counter drops but nothing was helpful so contacted Doctor who issued me with Fexafendine tablets I take a high dose 220 mg a day but it’s helped amazingly I still use artificial tears but the meds have stopped the itching n soreness and I believe a lot of fibromyalgia people suffer with this complaint

[trytobehappytalking in reply to Jockabenny]

Thanks, I am waiting for the 👁️ hospital appointment and see what they have to say

[giraffe8]

I was told that people with fibromyalgia like my self are more likely to have blepharitis and that flax seed was good to take for it . I have hylo forte eye drops blephaclean wipes , eye gel if needed as well for night time. An eye mask to heat in microwave and place on eyes to warm them to then massage them. Have to wear dark glasses all the time as eyes very sensitive to lights, daylight , wind etc.

[trytobehappytalking in reply to giraffe8]

Thanks for your help, how do you take the flax seeds?

[Rose45]

I use this eye bag, then use cotton wool to wipe with blephasol. This was recommended to me by my optician. Also recommended Systain eye drops. My Mum and girls all have dry eyes as well.

Eye bag

[trytobehappytalking in reply to Rose45]

Thanks, Rose. I have tried systen drops but they didn't help me. I do use the bag & it's a great relief. Am waiting for an appt for the cornea clinic & they might put plugs in my eyes to create more tears 😭. Sounds 😬 uhh, painful. Not sure if fibro is exasperating the blepharitis 😔. Has anyone been on a residential pain clinic? I was on the waiting list but all got cancelled when lockdown happened so no idea when it'll start. K regards

[trytobehappytalking]

Is anyone from the group from London area