General Hygiene Instructions | Inflammation of the eyelid

General Hygiene Instructions

Here are a few general tips and advice on eye hygiene: it helps, relaxes and soothes the eyes if you apply compresses moistened with warm water to the eyes for a few minutes. The warmth helps the secretion produced in the glands to liquefy a little and thus flow off more easily. In this way you can prevent a potential hailstone.

A light massage of the eyelids towards the eyelashes additionally supports the flow. It is of course important to pay attention to good hygiene, both of the towel used and the fingers. Small crusts, scales or sleeping sand at the edges of the eyes and also between the lashes can be easily removed with a cotton swab that is also warmly moistened.

In addition, a nourishing and slightly oily ointment can be used to keep the lashes supple and to protect the eyelid skin from drying out. Olive oil is also said to have a slightly anti-inflammatory effect. Of course, always use the cotton swabs on one side only and then take a new one.

Harmful external influences such as cigarette smoke, dry air or dust can also irritate the eyes and promote the development of inflammation. Therefore, it is important to avoid being near smokers too often (and even to give up smoking if possible or at least minimize it), to keep the air in the room sufficiently moisturized by airing it out regularly and not to let too much dust accumulate on the surfaces. If one suffers from permanently dry, irritated eyes and/or a foreign body feeling in the eye, an ophthalmologist should be consulted.

Anatomical basics

Here is a brief excursion into the anatomy of the eyelids to help you understand why such an eyelid can swell at all.The eyelids, by their structure alone, are favored to swell more easily than other parts of the body. They are made of skin with relatively few layers, i.e. very thin, and the underlying tissue is loose and soft. There are hardly any fat deposits, but there are more blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.

This means that a lot of fluid is moved around here in a very small space throughout the day. The space is also so narrow and limited because the eyelids have a connective tissue plate inside, which is firmly connected to the eye socket in the two corners of the eye and acts as a mechanical barrier. This explains why, as soon as the fluid pressure in the body rises even a little bit, this is immediately noticeable on the eyelids and edema forms (accumulation of fluid in the tissue).

Since the excess fluid can most easily move to the adjacent side, both eyelids are often affected by the edema. There are also glands inside the eyelids which, through the sebum they produce, ensure that the eyelids and eyelashes remain supple. There are several types of glands in the eyelid that have their excretory ducts both at the edge of the eyelid and on the inside of the eyelid.

If one of these small ducts becomes blocked, the secretion produced in the gland can no longer drain properly, accumulates and can become inflamed. The widespread barleycorn is a typical consequence of such an obstructed sebaceous gland in the eyelid.