Patient discussions
Patients should be advised to keep the eyelids free of discharge, pus, or crusting to help improve the condition and prevent recurrence. Other measures include washing their hands before touching around the eyes or removing contact lenses; not sharing eye make-up; washing their face and fully removing any eye make-up at bedtime; and replacing eye make-up every 3 months.
For patients with seborrhoeic dermatitis, washing the eyelashes with anti-dandruff shampoo may help. Patients diagnosed with blepharitis should be advised to maintain eyelid hygiene measures indefinitely to prevent exacerbations. See Blepharitis (Patient discussions).
Warn patients not to squeeze a stye or chalazion to try and drain it as it will not help resolve it and could lead to complications.
Advise patients that in the future if they develop eyelid pain and/or swelling they should apply warm compresses promptly, as their symptoms may resolve without the need of medical review or further treatment.
Patients with chalazion should be advised to seek medical help if it recurs or persists.
Useful patient information is available at the following websites: American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Optometric Association, and Patient UK.[30][31][32][33][34]
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