Everyday Cleaning After washing your hands, moisten a washcloth with a mild cleaning solution. Gently rub the washcloth over the edges of your eyelids, taking care not to press too hard, before opening your eyes. Rinse using warm water. Repeat the same process for the other eye using a different washcloth.
Keeping the eyelids clean is a simple process. First, people should cleanse the eyes of any make-up at the end of each day. If the eyelids are red, itchy, or inflamed, they may need to be cleaned several times a day, at least until symptoms improve.
Use a prepared lid scrub solution advised by your optometrist or a mixture of warm water and a tiny bit of non-irritating shampoo ( such as baby shampoo). Close one eye and wipe the solution back and forth across the eyelashes and the edge of the eyelid with a clean washcloth (a separate one for each eye).
Put a warm, moist washcloth on your closed eye for a few minutes. Warm the washcloth again with water if you need to get the gunk off. Then take damp, warm cotton balls or a corner of a washcloth and gently wipe your closed eye from the inner corner to the outer corner.
Most of the time, blepharitis happens because you have too much bacteria on your eyelids at the base of your eyelashes. Having bacteria on your skin is normal, but too much bacteria can cause problems. You can also get blepharitis if the oil glands in your eyelids get clogged or irritated.
String, White Mucus
Stringy, white mucus is often a result of allergic conjunctivitis. This allergic reaction may create deposits and material that clump together, settling inside of your eye or under your lower eyelid. People with allergic conjunctivitis may have to pull white, stringy mucus out of their eyes.
A type of eye discharge that's a stringy, white mucus is usually a sign of allergic conjunctivitis , or eye allergies. As part of your body's allergic response, glands in your eye may produce material that sticks together, collecting inside of your eye or under the lower eyelid.
Pour a few drops of tearless baby shampoo into a clean cup. Add about 1/2 ounce of warm water to make a diluted soapy solution. Dip the washcloth into the soapy solution. Pull your lower eyelid down and look up.
Eyelid scrubs are gentle cleansers that soothe inflamed eyelids and help treat some eye conditions. They wash away bacteria, oils, and crusts that form along your lash line. This helps ease itching and inflammation.
The presence of the bacteria can cause sties and even a toxic kerititis (corneal inflammation) called staff hypersensitivity. To prevent the build up of bacteria it is important to wash the eyelids everyday. This can be done with baby shampoo, Cetaphil skin cleanser, Sterilid or Ocusoft eyelid cleansers.
If you have dry eyelids, you should definitely be moisturizing them, but be careful — some eye creams are more targeted toward preventing wrinkles than just regular moisturizing, and so could contain ingredients that are fine for normal skin, but which your eyelids can't handle.
If you don't have access to an eye wash, you might be wondering if you could use a salt water solution instead. Our tears are naturally saline, so this can be an effective way of cleaning and soothing them. Salt is also naturally antimicrobial, which makes it effective against eye infections.
Put a few drops of baby shampoo in a cup of water, and dip a cotton ball, cotton swab, or washcloth in the liquid. With your eyes closed, gently wipe across each eyelid about 10 times. Make sure to wipe across the lashes too. Rinse well.
You can wash your whole face or entire body with Cetaphil. Because it is so gentle and hypoallergenic, it can be used once or many times daily without stinging, drying, or cracking the thin delicate skin of the eyelids.
How Often Should We Use Eyelid Wipes? If you have a more chronic condition such as allergies, and your dry eye and mucus production has been a problem for a while, you will want to use eyelid scrub wipes at least twice per day until the condition improves. Some even recommend three times per day.
To keep the eye clean: Wipe away the drainage from around the eye. Moisten a clean cotton ball or face cloth with warm (not hot) water, and gently wipe from the inner (near the nose) to the outer part of the eye. With each wipe, use a new or clean part of the cotton ball or face cloth.
Blepharitis is controlled by cleaning the eyelids twice a day and may also require drops and/or ointment.
You can't cure blepharitis. However, it can be treated and controlled through proper eyelid hygiene. Left untreated, blepharitis may lead to other more serious eye conditions, including corneal problems, which may be significant.
Blepharitis tends to be worse in cold windy weather, air-conditioned environments, prolonged computer usage, sleep deprivation, contact lens wear, and with general dehydration. It also tends to be worse in the presence of active skin disease e.g. acne rosacea, seborrhoeic dermatitis.
Water from your sink may be fine for those who do not wear contact lenses. If you get a foreign object or irritating chemical in your eye, washing your eyes with fresh water can help remove the substance and reduce discomfort.
Although it's tempting to rub your eyes with your hands in the morning, try to resist. It's never a good idea, as germs on your hands could lead to an eye infection. The best way to clean your eyes (and, it feels good!) is to lay a washcloth soaked with very warm water on your eyelids and lashes and gently clean them.