Receive Answers
Our Blog
Ask an optometrist
Drying & Bleeding of Eyelids
Karen wrote:
The creases on my eyelids sometimes flake and now they crack open and bleed. It feels like paper cuts. I put vit E oil to heel it, but it reoccurs. I've had a bit of crusting in the eye corners this summer which I attributed to (new) allergies. I sometimes have eye lashes that grow out of the corner of the eye as well as 1/8" above the lash line. I do not have allergies, rosacea, dermatitis or past problems with my eyes. Any advice you can give would be appreciated.
Dr Henry Smit's response:
Dear Karen
You appear to be describing an inflammation of the skin of the eyelids – a type of dermatitis. Although you have not disclosed your age, the condition you describe tends to occur more frequently in older patients. There is often a loss of tone in eyelids as people age, and this frequently causes extra folds in the lid tissue. Our skin also tends to become drier and thinner as we age and the skin has a tendency to break down along these folds. This can cause a lot of discomfort – as you probably know firsthand. You should check with your optometrist to see if an underlying cause for your recurrent difficulties can be identified. If excess skin tissue is contributing to the problem, your optometrist may refer you to an ophthalmologist for a minor surgical repair to improve the problem. If your eyelid tone is normal, there are a number of skin conditions that can make the lids prone to “cracking” at the normal folds. Any break in the skin leaves a person more vulnerable to infection so you may need to be treated with an antibiotic ointment that is safe to use in and around the eyes. Your optometrist may refer you to a dermatologist if your problem does not respond to treatment with topical medication.
The crusting you mention may be caused by allergies as you have suggested, but it could also be an indication of mild infection or a dysfunction of the oil producing glands (meibomian glands) in your eyelid. An in-office microscopic examination of the eyelids by your optometrist may be able to identify the specific underlying problem so that appropriate treatment can be initiated.
Best of luck.
Dr. Smit
No comment