Some Tips to Help with Ocular Rosacea
Rosacea can be the bane of your life. You can control but not cure this condition. Ocular Rosacea is not spoken about often but can be very uncomfortable. Irritated, itchy, red eyes can be an early symptom or clue that Rosacea on the face will develop in later years. Much has been learned about Rosacea in recent years and treatments have greatly improved.
Inward Growing Eyelashes
A recent visit to the optometrist was a huge surprise for me. An irritation in one eye turned out to be 2 eyelashes growing toward the eye and this was causing the constant irritation. The optometrist asked if I had Rosacea, the answer of course was a big yes. Seems this eyelash problem is yet another quirk caused by the condition. Who would have guessed the weird connection. Now around every 6 weeks it is either a visit to the optometrist to have the rogue eyelashes removed or a super magnifying mirror and a good set of tweezers to remove them myself which saves a lot of time. The optometrist is the safer option. This inward growing eyelash is part of Ocular Rosacea. Many years before my Rosacea manifested with flushing of the face and the eruption of broken capillaries my eyes were always itchy, red and sore. I took this to be an allergy connected with sinus so was constantly using anti-allergy eye drops. This was the worst thing I could have done as the irritation was worse. The answer was to use a soothing eye drop that lubricated the eye. Systane worked well for me and is cheap and readily available. This will be a personal choice though and many brands are available. Over the next several years I took Cod Liver Oil capsules fortified with vitamins A and D. The irritated, itchy eye problem resolved itself and has not re-occurred.
Styes and Ocular Rosacea
Another issue that may arise is styes on the rim of the eye. This can be caused by blockages in the follicle or mites in the lashes. I used to have a recurring stye that never came to a head. An optical clinician recommended applying a tiny amount of medical manuka honey to the stye each day and in no time it healed and did not recur. The honey needs to be a high UMF to be effective. Your local health food shop can advise in this area.
Soolantra for Rosacea Blemishes and Pustules
A topical cream I've found excellent for blemishes or pustules caused by Rosacea is Soolantra a prescription cream which kills Demodex mites, the base cause of these blemishes. It's not a nice thought to have mites living on your skin but it's a fact of life. We all have demodex mites living on our skin but Rosacea sufferers have a higher population. Soolantra is an anti-parasitic cream which kills the mites.
MSM for Rosacea
Rosacea involves inflammation of the skin. MSM works as an anti-inflammatory orally and topically (in a cream or gel). Therefore a daily oral dose of MSM will help control Rosacea as well as many other pain issues, all of which control inflammation. Buy your MSM here
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