Good eye hygiene is important to maintain healthy, comfortable eyes, and prevent issues with dry eyes and infections. Just like oral hygiene (brushing your teeth daily), you should have a strong preventative approach to eye hygiene. Daily preventative care of cleaning your eyelids will help stop future eye problems before they progress into something more serious. Here are examples of severe consequences of poor eye hygiene:
- Blepharitis: Inflammation of the eyelid margins causing them to be red, inflamed, crusty and itchy
- Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Disruption of the healthy production of oils by the eyelid oil glands
- Dry Eye: Unhealthy tears due to imbalance of water and oils in the tear film
- Stys: Bacterial infection of the meibomian gland causing an acute swollen bump on the eyelid
- Chalazion: Non-infectious blocked meibomian gland causing a chronic bump on the eyelid
- Infectious Conjunctivitis : Inflammation of the conjunctival tissue caused by bacterial overgrowth
How can you maintain good eye hygiene?
Cleaning of the upper and lower eyelids, particularly right around the eyelid margins and eyelash line is recommended for daily maintenance. Proper removal of eye make-up at night is essential, but this lid-cleaning practice is not just for women! Men often present with the most severe blepharitis, seen as debris and crusting along the base of the eyelashes, red and swollen eyelid margins, and watery eyes. Baby shampoo was previously recommended as a gentle option for cleansing, but is no longer recommended due to its disruption to the tear film and oil glands. There are better product options available; use of eye-friendly and optometrist-recommended lid wipes (eg. Lid and Lash wipes) is an easy and convenient way to do your daily eye hygiene.
Other strategies to maintaining healthy external eye health includes:
- Use of artificial tears to help maintain optimal lubrication of the surface of the eye
- Use of warm compresses (10 min of heat with an optometrist-recommended eye mask) to liquefy the oils and open the pores of the eyelid glands
- Dietary supplement of omega 3 oils – to ensure healthy oils present to lubricate the eyes and reduce inflammation
- Avoid use of eyeliner inside the lash line, avoid eyelash extensions, serums, and sparkly makeup
- See your Doctor of Optometry for an assessment of your eye health on a regular basis
Dr. Lisa Scharf, Optometrist