Ocular Rosacea – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Ocular rosacea is an eyelid condition that affects the eyes, the skin surrounding the eyes and the upper part of a face, bringing about different symptoms; majorly involving irritation and dryness.
The condition is severe and can make someone blind if not treated promptly. The condition is mostly common among persons with fair skin, because of exposure to too much heat and sunlight, extremely low temperature, mental stress and heavy exercises. Everyone who is experiencing symptoms like reduced visual acuity and extreme low temperatures need to consult an ophthalmologist immediately. The condition is accompanied by dry eyes in which there are possibilities of secondary contagion, since bacteria like ‘staphylococci’ can breed within dry environments. The infection of on both the eye and the surrounding skin has several observable symptoms.
Symptoms
Inflammation in the eyelashes and lid margins are possible signs of ocular rosacea. The condition which leads to itchy, red and burning eyelashes and eyes is called blepharitis. A meibomian gland that gets swollen or expanded is an ocular rosacea symptom. The condition is referred to as chalazia. One can experience dry eyes in case there is any problem within the meibomian gland.
The other symptoms are painful and red eyes which could be ‘scleritis’ and ‘episcleritis’ complications. Both these complications arise due to swollen blood vessels in the eyes. Keratitis, a complication that is more severe, also forms part of the symptoms. Here, a person will experience irritation inside the cornea. It results in the inability to clearly see things, high sensitivity to any light and eyes that pain severely. Keratitis has the potential of causing further complications in case treatment is not done in time. The affected individual will as well experience iris irritation, accompanied by unclear sight and a severe pain in the eye.
Bloodshot or watery eyes, a feeling of a foreign particle existing in your eye, dry eyes and the eyes having a stinging sensation are the other general symptoms. Many people that suffer from this disorder feature a given sense of eyelid fullness, which results from inspissated secernments of zeis or meibomian glands found along the eyelid margin.
Treatment of Ocular Rosacea
Ocular rosacea is incurable but treatment and control is possible. The treatment used is dependent on the symptoms together with their severity. There are general steps and precautions one should follow so as to reduce the symptoms. All that suffer from such a condition should not take alcohol, hot drinks, eat spicy foods or even take foods with the possibility of increasing body temperature. You should never expose the skin to harmful ultraviolet radiations. Also, remember to apply sunscreens on your skin.
Wearing hats and sunglasses when outdoors can also help to reduce the disorder’s effects. Skin irritation could directly ameliorate your eye condition if not treated. It is for this reason that the dermatologist and the eye doctor jointly carry out the treatment. Lukewarm water compressed on the eyelids and gentle scrubbing of the eyelids can be used to reduce complications. Every person affected with such an infection ought to frequently clean or wash their eyelids. Many antibiotics can be orally taken for the treatment of ocular rosacea. The doctors never suggest a long term consumption of the oral tablets because they can result in some side effects. The ophthalmologist or physician can prescribe the steroid eye drops in case of a very severe infection.
Ocular Rosacea Diet
A body with low blood PH remains to be a major culprit behind rosacea development. Therefore, feeding on alkaline foods which raise the pH value of blood actually helps in effective control of rosacea. Here are few alkaline foods you need to take when suffering from this condition.
Vegetables: Nearly every vegetable is an alkaline food which helps in maintaining acid alkaline balance. The sugar contained in such foods is lower than the fruits. Hence, vegetable’s alkalizing qualities are far beyond that of fruits. Vegetables are major sources of nutrients, such as Vitamin K and C, which are known to be friendly to the skin. Vegetables considered to be more alkaline include Sweet potato, Baby spinach, Green beans, Cucumber, Broccoli, Mustard greens, Kale, Celery, Green asparagus, Onions, Rocket leaves and Lentils. Make sure you have raw spinach while other vegetables could be stir fried or steamed in flax-seed or olive oil. Vegetables that are deep-fried have the possibility of losing their alkalinity and therefore such cooking methods shouldn’t be used
Whole Grain Products: If you don’t wish to have blood with more acidic content, there is a need for the inclusion of the whole grain products because they are part and parcel of the alkaline diet. Buckwheat and brown rice are examples of whole grains which can help in correcting the acid-alkaline balance.
Beverages: Drinking a proper beverage immensely contributes to the reduction of the body’s acidic environment. Also featuring good qualities to alkalize are fig juice and vegetable broth. Mineral water has high oxygen levels and improves blood pH. Other than water, observing a special diet will be of importance in combating this unusual condition of the skin. With rosacea, you have to avoid foods with no healing effect on you. Examples of particular foods to be avoided are alcohol and hot beverages.
Fruits: Alkalizing property in fruits is commendable and so can help in the restoration of the pH balance of the body. Though fructose is able to minimize the alkalinity impact slightly, they form an integral part of this rosacea diet. Examples of fruits to include in this diet are Watermelon, Mango, Raspberry, Lime, Papaya, Pears and Raisins.
Herbs: Addition of particular herbs to your diet favors patients desiring to reduce ocular rosacea. Herbs such as parsley and garlic show enormous alkalizing properties. Including them in the diet will therefore be beneficial. Green tea and herbal tea can also help.
Dairy Products: Yogurt, cottage and buttermilk are examples of dairy products that can be eaten in moderation due their low acidic content. However, homogenized or raw milk as well as ice cream shouldn’t feature in the diet as they are significantly acidic.
