Eye "FLOSS": 20-1-7 Challenge Week #18

Dr. Grimes' 20-1-7 CHALLENGE: 

• For the first TWENTY weeks of this year,
• Pick ONE healthy change every Sunday, and
• Commit to that change for SEVEN days.

Eye "Floss": 20-1-7 Challenge Week #18

We all know flossing our teeth is a good idea, right? Certainly our future 70 year old selves would engrave that in our bathroom mirrors if they could. Every dentist that I know is quite faithful about flossing daily. Interestingly, most eye doctors that I know have a similar but lesser known ritual for their eyes. Not actually eye "floss" as my title teased, but eye LID SCRUBS.

The base of our eyelashes are well suited to collect debris, especially if you fall in the mascara, eyeliner or eyeshadow-wearing cohort. While we dutifully wash our faces and possibly use a makeup removal cloth, most can attest from the smears under their eyelashes in the morning that this is not the most thorough of processes. 

"BLEPHARITIS" is the medical name for inflammation of the eyelids. Symptoms include red, itchy eyes, often with some crusting or flaking alongside the inflamed edge. Contact lens wearers often blame their lens for this irritation, only to discover that it is the lash area causing the problem. If you suffer from this issue, then a simple routine of "lid scrubs" may significantly improve your ocular health. 

Lid scrub products are sold commercially as wipes, or you can DIY with non-irritating baby shampoo. Simply keep a small bottle in your shower, and when you've finished your normal shower/shampoo routine, squeeze out a drop of baby shampoo on to the tips of your fingers, rub them together, and then gently massage the base of your eyelashes (with eyes closed, obviously) for about ten seconds, then put your face back into the spray of the shower and rinse thoroughly. That's it! 

My own eyes have been itchy and mildly irritated for the past few weeks, which I have attributed to the oak pollen that blankets central Texas in the spring, but this is a great time for me to return to the hygiene habit of lid scrubs. 

BOTTOM LINE: This week, add lid scrubs to your daily shower routine- all it takes is a small bottle of no-tears baby shampoo and less than a minute of your time

20-1-7 Challenge Week #1: COLOR

20-1-7 Challenge Week #2: Veggie Spiralizer

20-1-7 Challenge Week #3: Medication Dispenser

20-1-7 Challenge Week #4: Meditation

20-1-7 Challenge Week #5: WATER

20-1-7 Challenge Week #6: Exercise BOOST

20-1-7 Challenge Week #7: FLOSS

20-1-7 Challenge Week #8: ZZZ 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #9: RESIST

20-1-7 Challenge Week #10: No W(h)ining

20-1-7 Challenge Week #11: YOGA 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #12: CLUTTER CONTROL

20-1-7 Challenge Week #13: NEW SHOES

20-1-7 Challenge Week #14: Hide It 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #15: Nuke It   

20-1-7 Challenge Week #16: Old School Keyboarding 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #17: Candy Day Feedback: The candy habit was more ingrained in my routine than I would have thought, so rather than simply giving up my candy "rewards" during a work day, I substituted a new sweet treat- dried fruit (strawberries or bananas). 

Seeing Red This Spring?

What should you do if your primary allergy symptom is not sneezing, runny nose, or sore throat, but burning, itching, watery, red eyes? Will over-the-counter products help with eye symptoms?
The short answer is yes- oral antihistamines (like Benadryl, Allegra, Claritin & Zyrtec) can help with allergic eye symptoms, but if you are really only having eye issues, you may get better relief from some prescription eye drops.

Many of my patients try to use over-the-counter eye drops that "get the red out"...only to discover that they need more and more of these drops to accomplish the same results. The only time that I recommend these OTC products (which have vasoconstrictors to eliminate red eyes) is for extremely short-term use, such as if you are giving a presentation or taking pictures. If you use these products for more than a couple days, you will develop rebound symptoms of increased redness, and risk getting pulled into the vicious cycle of red eyes, use drops, worse red eyes when drops "wear off", more drops, etc.

Prevention is key for allergies in general, and especially helpful with eye symptoms. While avoidance of the allergen is your first choice, often that is not possible or practical. There are a variety of both over the counter and prescription eye drops that can greatly reduce eye irritation and discomfort from allergies. Some are antihistamines, but others are more pro-active prevention. Histamine (the substance that triggers the redness and itch) is stored in "holding tanks" called mast cells. Mast cell "stabilizing" drops were designed to keep the histamine staying in the holding tanks, rather than being released to cause havoc.  There are also prescription combination antihistamine and mast cell stabilizing drops, which can be applied only once or twice daily. Finally, there is another class of medication that is purely anti-inflammatory.

What "home" remedy helps? For quick relief of itchy eyes, try wrapping a dampened washcloth around  some ice cubes, and hold this cold compress up to your eyes for a few minutes. Heat is NOT the answer for this eye problem! Heat releases histamine, and simply ramps up the problem.


BOTTOM LINE: If your eyes are driving you crazy during allergy season, don't suffer in silence, but schedule a visit with your family doctor or eye doctor to find out your treatment options!