I have this itchiness and redness around my eyelids for the last week. Sometimes when I wake up I have flakey skin around my eye lashes. What is it? What do I do?

It appears that you are suffering from blepharitis which is an inflammatory reaction of follicles of the eyelid. Blepharitis can be bacterial, allergic, or secondary to the dirt/deposits around the eye. Common symptoms include redness of the eyelid or eye itself, flaking skin, crusting of lid margins, or sandy sensation in the eye. If untreated, blepharitis can lead to cyst formation and decreased vision.

The mainstay of treating of minor blepharitis is good lid hygiene. There are many ocular cleanser sheets available in drug/grocery stores in the eye-care aisle that you can purchase. People prone to blepharitis should gently scrub their lids twice a day with these eyelid cleanser sheets. Another effective way to cleanse your eyelids would be to use tear-free baby shampoo to gently scrub your eyelids twice daily.

If your symptoms are getting worse, you have redness in your eye, or are having eye discharge, you should visit an opthalmologist without delay as you may also have a component of conjunctivitis, more commonly known as “pink eye.” This is an inflammation of the lining of the eye and inner lining of the eyelid. Patients suffering from conjunctivitis should immediately seek medical attention to prevent worsening of their condition. The mainstay of treating bacterial conjunctivitis is antibacterial eyedrops or ointment.

It is important to note that you should not be wearing any eye makeup until the symptoms resolve or your opthalmologist says you can resume wearing eye makeup.