Medical Treatment

The cornerstone of therapy is good eyelid hygiene.

You may be prescribed a topical antibiotic if your ophthalmologist or primary-care physician believes that you have an infectious form of blepharitis. Occasional blurriness of vision may occur after eyedrops or ointments are placed in your eyes. This should clear up quickly.

Occasionally antibiotic drops or ointments which contain cortisone are used. If any cortisone drops or ointments are used, they should not be used for prolonged periods of time since they might cause glaucoma in susceptible individuals. These medications should never be used without the supervision of an ophthalmologist.

Resistant cases of infectious blepharitis may need a prolonged course of oral antibiotics.

Recently, there has been interest in using omega-3 fatty acids in pill form for treatment of blepharitis and dry eye.