Christopher Wolfe, OD, FAAO, Dipl. ABO
Eyelids are amazing.
Many of us spend a significant amount of time applying just the right amount of eyeliner, mascara and eye shadow in an effort to accentuate our eyes. Little do we know that removing this partially or not at all can make our eyes look, feel and actually BE unhealthy. The eyelid serves very specific functions that are crucial to the health of the eye. One of the best things we can do to preserve our eyelid anatomy (including the length and thickness of our eyelashes) is to keep our eyelids clean. This means implementing a system that is simple yet completely removes our eye makeup.
Eyelid hygiene can be considered as a preventative means to maintain eyelid health.
When we clean our eyelids on a regular basis we can often reduce our risk of future eye diseases. These eye diseases have a short-term and long-term impact on how our eyes look and feel. Let's consider each of these common diseases.
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Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD)
Meibomian glands are oil glands situated along the rim of our eyelids (right next to where our eyelashes grow). The oil they produce mixes with our tears and prevents tears from evaporating. When we don’t remove our makeup well, this makeup residue can clog these glands causing them to slowly shrink and eventually die. This can result in eye irritation, inflammation, and other eye disease.
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Dry Eye Disease
Dry eye disease is one of the most common conditions that eye doctors see every day. Evaporative dry eye is typically thought to be the result of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). It will also lead to further inflammation, redness and irritation.
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Blepharitis
Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelids. People will often complain about irritation, burning sensation, foreign object sensation, tearing, and eyelids sticking together in the morning. Once the damage is done it is challenging, if not impossible, to completely reverse. This condition can gradually lead to thick eyelids, eyelid scarring, and a loss of eyelashes. Of course this leads us to apply more eye makeup and thus the cycle continues.
Clean your eyelids daily with PEEQ Eyelid Cleanser to keep your eyes looking and feeling fresh!