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Anonymous

HEY EVERYONE!! I have exciting news that may help some of you and I have to share! I have been dealing with puffy/swollen eyelids for over 4 months now. I am a 26 yr old female living in CA. My eyes became more sensitive when I was about 22 years old. I tried some new mascara and my eyes had a bad allergic reaction, but when my eyelids went back to normal I found they were a bit more sensitive to certain makeups. My right eye also remains smaller now due to that bad reaction. Fast forward to this past February I had another bad allergic reaction to some makeup, but eventually that cleared as well. Then I had another allergic reaction to a makeup wipe, but after my eyes went back to a somewhat normal state a few weeks later I started waking up with my eyelids swollen every day. At first I thought it was another allergic reaction to something so I stopped wearing makeup and contacts, but it didn't go away. I also tried taking benadryl, but that didn't help either. Then I tried changing from Tide detergent to a natural one, I changed shampoo/conditioner, changed pillows, changed makeup, bought an air purifier I mean you name it I tried it! I was going crazy trying to figure out why my eyelids were always swollen. They would go down a bit throughout the day, but at night the whole process would start all over again. Then I went to an optometrist (I had been to 2 optometrists already) who prescribed a steroid eye drop because he thought it was an allergy, but they eye drop didn't work. Then I went to a dermatologist and he said that I have Seborrheic dermatitis and prescribed me a cortisone cream to use on my eyelids. When I used the cream my eyelids would almost go back to normal, but when I would go to sleep my lids would be swollen again in the morning. I also brought out some old boxes and had a episode where my eyes were itchy and turned red in spots, but eventually the redness went away. I also take a Claritin every day for allergies and I am allergic to gluten and dairy.

Here is the break through part!!!! I just went back to my optometrist today and told him I was still having the eyelid problem and now I had some dandruff like stuff on the root of my eyelashes. I have done my research online which is were I found this site and I was thinking blepharitis. He looked at my eyes when his magnifying instrument and said yeah you do have some crustaceans on your eyelashes I am 90% sure you have Demodex. Then he pulled up a webpage on Demodex infestation which are little mites living in your eyelashes and eyebrows. They live there and irritate your eye causing it to swell and since it is not an allergy a steroid drop wouldn't cure it. They are also more active in the dark so at night time when you sleep they make your eye appear more swollen and itchy in the morning. They also lay eggs (GROSS) in your eyelashes and if they are not treated they will make your eyelashes fall out. This was life changing!! Everything it talked about made sense and I swear I almost started crying. Here is the second best part it CAN be cured!! Basically it can be cured with heat and tea tree oil, BUT it must be a diluted tea tree oil because it is too harsh to put on your eyelids alone. Dilute it 50% with either coconut oil or walnut oil. I will link the web page that explains what to do. There is also a hydrochloric acid foam or wipe you clean your eyes with before putting on the tea tree oil. Also my eye doctor said to wash all of my sheets in hot water and dry them on the hottest setting and to throw out my pillows.

Another thing about Demodex is that these gross mites are very contagious and your partner could have them as well and may not know it. My eye doc said it is VERY common and about 60% of people have this! Some people do not have symptoms so they could have it and spread it to someone else. I just tried the first treatment when I got home because the thought of it grosses me out and I need to kill them all. Already my eyelids look better! I have to do this treatment for 3-4 weeks to make sure all of them are dead and check back in with the eye doc. Also there is a special machine that will put a good amount of heat on your eyelids for 10 minutes and I guess certain eye doctors will have it. Mine said that he will be getting one and that will kill the mites and help as well. So you may want to ask your optometrist about that.

I really hope this helps some of you! This is a major break through and I can't tell you how depressed and crazy I was going when my eyelids were constantly swollen all the time. After hours and hours of searching the internet for an answer I had never heard of Domodex before so I hope this helps you in some way. Please read the link below and feel free to ask any questions! I will update you on what happens after using this treatment for a few weeks!

Good luck to you!

November 21, 2016 - 2:40pm

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