Guest guest Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 I have been diagnosed with severe Blepharitis in both eyes. I have two weeks to try to impove it without antibiotics. Does Blepharitis mean I have to stop Remicade? It is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 I have been diagnosed with severe Blepharitis in both eyes. I have two weeks to try to impove it without antibiotics. Does Blepharitis mean I have to stop Remicade? It is Ruth, Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid, generally right at the eyelash line. You may notice that your eyelashes are thinning, and that is not a serious problem. What the MD that I worked for had his patients do was to get some good old 's Baby Shampoo, no tear formula-- and use a Q-tip dipped in the shampoo to wash the eyelids, inside and out. 2x daily. This can be done as a regular part of your daily hygiene-- indefinately. The shampoo is so gentle it doesn't hurt at all! I hope that your Ophthalmologist (MD) gave you some PredForte Drops that you can use, that will bring down the inflammation. You need also to be using artificial tears (get the ones with no preservatives) very often. If you can afford it-- get the ones that have a single use container. Sometimes what happens is that if we touch our eyelids with the tip of the dropper bottle when we put in our eyedrops, this bottle can get a bacteria on it. That can keep the eyelids inflammed. The other drop, if you can tolerate them-- is the Restasis drops. This is cyclosporine in eyedrop form, and it really brings the inflammation down, and helps the lacrimal tear glands that line our eyelids produce more tears. As far as the Remicade-- I'd be calling the Remicade Q & A line, and talk to them-- I don't think it would have to be stopped, as you are dealing with an inflammatory process, and not an infection at this time. If your eyelids do become infected, then yes, you'd want to get that under control before you get another infusion. I suspect that the Restasis will work for you. I was thinking that it's your MD that wasn't crazy about them-- but it's worth the try. It was down in LA *USC--that they were developed for people with systemic autoimmune disease that disrupts the tear production. I was able to see the MD that developed them--personally (he was the neuro-ophthalmologist that was on the board for the clinical trial with the Remicade) and what a awesome doc. They also have one of 3 machines that can actually calibrate the inflammation in our optic nerves. It's not yet FDA approved, but hopefully soon. Here is a phone # for contact: Phone Information for REMICADE: 1- http://www.remicade.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Dear Tracie, I come to you because I know you are very knowledgable about our eyes and Remicade also. I have been diagnosed with severe Blepharitis in both eyes. I have two weeks to try to impove it without antibiotics. Does Blepharitis mean I have to stop Remicade? It is an infection so I am guessing the answer is it will. And I've had a reaction to the ointment to use so had to stop it. If it doesn't get better in the two weeks I am told that I may have to go on oral antibiotics for several months. I don't know that I will be able to tolerate them because I also have a GI disease (Mast Cell Disease). I am so upset because finialy my iritis is under control and now this!! I am going to start Vit B-12 shot and I hope that will give me some of my energy back. Thanks for your post about remembering what we CAN do. think I will put it on my frig to remind me! You are so inspirational. I admire you for keeping such a positive attitude. I Hugs ttfn Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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