Our office has been treating complicated eye disease and performing cosmetic eyelid surgery for nearly three decades.
12 May 2016
Are your eyelids healthy?
Most of us give little thought to the wellbeing of our eyelids. Unless you’re someone who suffers from frequent styes, eyelid hygiene hasn’t been on your mind. There are some good reasons for you to change your attitude towards your eyelids.
As an ophthalmologist and oculoplastic surgeon, my decades of experience prove that most complaints of sore eyes begin with a disorder in the eyelids. From the cosmetic standpoint, an educated approach to your eyelids can accomplish a great deal towards longer and prettier eyelashes, as well.
If you find yourself seated in a public place, you can likely observe people rubbing their eyes. Most are doing so without realizing it. Many among us suffer from seasonal allergies that cause our eyes to itch. These allergies and the eye rubbing lead to eczema of the skin that surrounds your eyelashes: Redness, scaling of the skin, and puffy eyelids result.
All that rubbing also transfers bacteria that are normally found within and on the surface of our skin into our eyes where they don’t belong. If you’ve visited your ophthalmologist for eye infections, the bacteria causing the infections are likely those that populate the edges of your eyelids. Controlling that issue will likely reduce the rate of recurrence of your eye infections.
The inflammation of the eyelid skin also damages the hair follicles of your eye lashes. Many among us find that our eyelashes fall out far too often; leaving a sparse and uneven row of lashes. This can be especially noticeable on the lower eyelids. Before investing in eyelash extensions or expensive eyelash enhancement products, an ophthalmologist’s microscopic examination of your eyelids might yield information that could prove invaluable. I counsel teenagers as well as seniors on how appropriate routine eyelid hygiene can restore a full and attractive row of eyelashes.
There are consumer products that are intended for enhanced eyelash growth. Most are quite expensive and frequently cause eye irritation and undesired skin color changes. Before making such an investment, my advice is to have your ophthalmologist examine the health of your eyelids. I have been endorsing one such eyelash enhancement product that I dispense from my office, but many of my patients quickly acquire full and long eyelashes after simply restoring the health of their eyelids.
Michael Steiner MD
