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Pharmacy Care provides information about self-care, that is how to treat minor medical conditions with products available at the pharmacy. Find out how your pharmacist can help you to manage minor conditions yourself.
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Common eye problems include inflammation and infection of the eyelids and eyelashes (also called blepharitis and styes).
Blepharitis
Symptoms of blepharitis include inflammation of the major part of the eyelids, with crusting or scales at lid margins. Eyelids are usually red, thickened, burning, sore and feel itchy, and may be stuck together in the mornings. Blepharitis can be caused by a bacterial infection (with the crusts being difficult to remove) or due to dermatitis (with the scales more easily removed). Your eyes may be sensitive to light. The condition is often chronic (long lasting) and tends to be associated with dandruff and/or dry eye.
Styes
A stye (also known as a hordeolum) is caused by an infected gland at the base of your eyelash. This is different to blepharitis in that only a small area of the eyelid is involved. The stye is sore and tender, and your eye may water and be sensitive to light. It can also feel like there is something stuck in your eye, and tenderness and swelling are common.
See Your Pharmacist or Medical Professional
if your eye(s) are painful, sensitive to light, you see colour around lights or your sight is affected
if you have strangely shaped pupils or cloudy eyes
if your eyes have a discharge, such as pus
if you have severe crusting of the eyelids that is difficult to remove
if you have an associated fever
if you have significant swelling of the eyes
if you have other symptoms, such as headache, vomiting or a rash
if your eyes do not respond to treatment or improve in two days
if you have had the problem before and it is continually recurring
if you think the problem was caused by something stuck in your eye
if you have a cold sore, herpes or shingles
if the person with the eye problem is a baby, a young child or elderly
if you are pregnant or breastfeeding; some medicines may not be suitable
if you have other medical conditions or use other medicines
if you have allergies to any medicines
if you wear contact lenses
Treatment Tips
do not wear contact lenses if you have an eye infection (e.g. conjunctivitis) or if your eyes are red or irritated; check with your optometrist
some eye drops should not be used with contact lenses; check with your pharmacist
throw eye drop bottles away one month after opening; mark the date you open them on the bottle (check product details as some eye drops can only be used for shorter periods)
if you are using more than one type of eye drops, leave 10 minutes between applications
some eye drops can cause temporary stinging; if this continues talk to your pharmacist
protect your eyes from wind and sun by wearing sunglasses
Tips for applying eye drops
always wash your hands first
pull your lower eyelid down gently with your index finger to form a pocket – tilt your head back slightly and look up
hold the bottle between your thumb and index finger and squeeze gently to release one drop into your eye pouch
do not touch your eye with the dropper tip
do not blink, as this draws eye drops into the tear duct and out of the eye
close your eye and press gently over the corner, near your nose, to stop the drops draining through your tear duct
wait 10 minutes before adding other eye products
apply only one drop at a time into the affected eye unless the first drop was incorrectly administered
use eye drops before eye ointment
Tips for applying eye ointment
to position the tube tip, hold the tube between your thumb and index finger, and rest your hand against the base of your nose
apply a small blob of ointment into your lower eyelid pocket
do not touch the eye with the tube tip
Treatment Options
Styes
styes clear up on their own once they burst and pus is released; medicines are generally not required
carefully pull out the infected eyelash to allow for drainage if possible
a warm flannel placed gently over your eye can help the stye get ready to burst
an antiseptic product may prevent an infection occurring once the stye bursts
Blepharitis
a Lid Care pack (purchased from a pharmacy) may be helpful; this contains an eyelid cleaning solution and pads
you can make up a cleaning solution using baby shampoo:
put about half a teaspoon of baby shampoo into a bowl of hot water
wet a clean cloth with the solution and place the cloth over the eyes as a compress for two minutes
clean around the eyelashes gently, using a cotton bud dipped in the warm baby shampoo solution
you can make up a cleaning solution using sodium bicarbonate:
dilute 1 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate into 250 mL of hot water
wet a clean cloth with the solution and place the cloth over the eyes as a compress for two minutes
clean around the eyelashes gently, using a cotton bud dipped in the warm sodium bicarbonate solution
you can either use a clean cloth each time, or rinse the used cloth in a nappy solution to keep it clean for reuse (make sure you rinse the cloth well before using it again, so the nappy solution does not sting the eyes
clean your eyelids in one of these ways twice a day, then less often as the condition clears
[PHARMACY ONLY]
e.g. dibromopropamadine (Brolene ointment)
[PHARMACIST ONLY]
e.g. sulphacetamide eye drops (Bleph-10 Eye Drops)
these products may clear any bacterial infection
some people may be allergic to the contents of eye drops, so check with your pharmacist before taking
this medicine should be avoided in pregnancy
see your doctor if the condition fails to get better with treatment
More Information
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