Ophthalmology - Blepharitis and Meibomitis

Ophthalmology This service is available at:

Clinical and appointment hours Monday – Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm To make an appointment please call 6551 7828.

Getting to Alexandra Hospital

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Often bacteria enter these glands, which can contribute to blepharitis and meibomitis.

Meibomitis causes the glands to become irritated and inflamed, whereas with blepharitis, the roots of the eyelashes are affected.

Clinical and appointment hours Monday – Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm To make an appointment please call 6476 8828.

Jurong

On the edges of both the upper and lower eyelids there is a row of oil glands.

The oil produced by these glands play an important role in keeping the eye moist. It coats the surface of tears, preventing them from evaporating and the eyes from drying.

Blepharitis and Meibomitis

Jurong Medical Centre 60 Jurong West Central 3 Singapore 648346 Tel (65) 6551 7888 Fax (65) 6551 7880 www.jmc.com.sg

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What is blepharitis and meibomitis?

Alexandra Hospital 378 Alexandra Road Singapore 159964 Tel (65) 6472 2000 Fax (65) 6379 3880 www.ah.com.sg

By train Boon Lay MRT station By bus SBS 30, 79, 154, 157, 174, 179, 181, 182, 192, 193, 194, 198, 199, 240, 241, 242, 243 W/G, 246, 249, 251, 252, 254, 255, 257, 405 SMRT 172, 178, 180, 187 By car (exit 36 from PIE) Limited parking available in JMC. More parking available at Blk 686 Multi-storey carpark along Jurong West Central 1 (opposite JMC)

Disclaimer: The information in this brochure is meant for educational purposes and should not be used as substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. Please seek your doctor’s advice before starting any treatment or if you have any questions related to your health, physical fitness or medical condition.

How am I affected by blepharitis or meibomitis?

If you have either of these conditions you may find that: •

You rub or scratch your eyes often as they itch or burn. They may also feel sandy and gritty.

What treatments are available?

This is a long term problem which cannot be completely cured. Your doctor will assess your eyes and formulate a treatment method that will help you to manage the effects of blepharitis or meibomitis in the best way.

Antibiotics can be applied as ointment to the eyelids to get rid of bacteria, reduce inflammation and moisten the eye like artificial tears. While they lubricate the eye for longer periods, they also blur vision slightly. They are useful at bedtime but not recommended for daytime use. Artificial tears are best used in the daytime.

Lid hygiene You can use commercial eyelid cleaning solutions to clean your eyelid margins and eyelashes twice a day.

•

You often get styes or cysts.

•

Your eyes are red, dry and tired.

Warm compresses

•

The margins of your eyelids are red and swollen.

•

There are crusts, scales and flakes around your eyelashes.

Warm compresses can be used to reduce the inflammation of the oil glands.

The warm temperature makes the oil more liquid, which eases blockage in the glands and soothes irritation. A clean face towel is run under hot water and held against the eyes for five minutes.

You may be more likely to have blepharitis and meibomitis if you also have serious scalp dandruff or oily skin around the nose and face as these are sometimes associated with the conditions.

Antibiotic eye ointments

Artificial tears

Cysts and

styes

The Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences department at JurongHealth offers the latest and most comprehensive eye care for patients. With a dedicated team of eye surgeons and consultants staffing the department, we treat vision problems ranging from age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, corneal disease as well as other conditions affecting the eye.

Blocked and inflamed oil glands release less oil to coat tears. The result is an increase in tear evaporation and therefore dry and irritated eyes.

This can be relieved by applying artificial tears to moisten and soothe. For mild cases, preserved artificial tears can be used up to four times a day.

For severe cases preservative-free artificial tears are recommended instead. These can be used more than four times a day and can even be applied every few minutes if necessary.

Anti-inflammatory eyedrops In severe cases, anti-inflammatory eyedrops that contain steroids may be necessary to reduce inflammation. This will prevent excessive damage to the surface of the eye, but can have a high risk of side-effects with prolonged use. Your doctor will discuss this with you further.