Blepharitis

[atalanta]

I'm told my eye problem is blepharitis. I have been prescribed Doxycycline, which the doc says I can take if I have the occasional drink ( e.g. a glass of wine with dinner once or twice a week) But the information sheet with the drugs says "no booze." Which one is right ?
And, the doc said I should use Bicarbonate of Soda, but did not explain how to use it. Do I make an eyewash with it ? What concentration ?

[Buenchico]

Quote (from the NHS website):
"There are many recipes for cleaning solutions and the best proportions or products to use can vary, depending on the individual.

A popular recipe involves pouring a pint of boiled water into a bowl, adding either a drop of baby shampoo or tea tree shampoo – or a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda – and allowing it to cool before using. You could also use a commercial eyelid-cleaning solution". (i.e. you use it to clean your eyelid)

More here:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Blepharitis/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Pharmaceutical companies produce leaflets that have to be of a 'one size fits all' nature, whereas doctors (and pharmacists if you use their consulting facilities) know what's OK (or not) for individual patients. If your doctor says that an occasional drink will be OK then you should trust him/her.

As an analogy, a colleague of mine told his GP (who was also my doctor, and definitely 'of the old school') that the hay fever tablets he was taking didn't seem to be strong enough at night but the packaging said 'Do not exceed the stated dose'. My friend was also fond of a drink or two (or three or four!) and didn't like the fact that the packaging of the hay fever tablets said "Avoid alcohol". The doctor said "Stuff all that lot. Just do what I do and take a quadruple dose every night, accompanied by a very large whiskey". That advice never seemed to do my friend, or our GP, any harm ;)

[Mamyalynne]

As a sufferer of many years - a big vote from me for the 'Baby Shampoo' technique outlined above.

It really does help.

[Clanad]

And... since the cause of blepharitis is in dispute but generally involves the oil glands associated with the eyelids, use a rough textured wash cloth to scrub the eyelids at the base of the hairs. I also find that baby shampoo works very well, with the exception that I use it full strength right out of the bottle applied to the aforesaid wet, rough wash cloth... maybe two or three times a week until clear.