Hi. I am a fair-skinned, caucasian male, and in about 2 weeks I will turn 20.


My problem is that recently (i'm not sure how far back exactly, maybe 2 years), my lower eyelids have become puffy/swelled. Also there is still some redness lining the eyelids.


In december, I was diagnosed with blepharitis and have been keeping up with the lid scrubbing. The actual whites of my eyes no longer have conjunctivitis like they did, but the rims (lining) of my eyelids are still sometimes inflamed and my lower lids protrude forward.


I experience gritty sensation from time to time throughout the day as if I have little crusts in my eyes (sometimes I do but most times its just a sensation), and my eyes will water and discharge periodically. It seems that gusts of wind or staring at a computer monitor will trigger the watering more frequently. Also my eyes are generally sore and will occasionally itch, but not enough for me to conclude that it's allergy causing this.


When I went to an opthamologist and got diagnosed with blepharitis, she told me that my tear glands don't produce the tear film properly and that my skin produces more oil (sebum?) than most people and the oil infects the eyelids and helps trap debris (such as my eczema flakes). This was back in december, but i'm pretty sure that's what she said, or something to that effect.


She prescribed warm compresses, lid scrubbing, and preservative-free artifical tears (gen-teal). I found the warm compresses to be quite useless as after 30-45 seconds the water would cool. I think taking warm showers and letting the water splash on my closed eyelids is an okay substitute. For the lid scrub, I pour a drop or 2 of johnson's baby shampoo in a cup and fill the cup with water. Then I dip a cotton swab (q-tip) in the solution and gently glide it along the upper and lower lids of each eye, making sure to use opposite ends of the q-tip for each eye.


In addition, I have started eating tuna at least once every other day to bring my omega 6/omega 3 fatty acids into balance. This regimen seems to have helped as my eyes aren't nearly as inflamed as they used to be.

The conjunctivitis has disappeared, but as I said, other symptoms remain: puffy eyelids, extra "skin flaps" around the lower eyelids (especially the right eyelid), inflamed eyelids, gritty sensation, crusts, and discharge.


Not only are the sensations uncomfortable, but this is also cosmetically distressing.


Here are a few other facts about my health:

i have eczema
i have keratosis pilaris
i have rosacea (but ipl treatments reduced redness dramatically)
i don't sneeze often or get itchy eyes often (but sometimes), but I very often have a runny nose from just one nostril (the right one), but no congestion. The substance from my nostril is very thin and watery, not thick and mucous-like. However, even when my nose is not runny, the appearance of my eyes does not change.


I've set up an appointment with my allergist for march 20th. He'd given me a scratch test a couple years ago but the results said that I wasn't allergic to anything, which he admittedly found odd. He thought that perhaps I should be tested again later just to make sure.


So there you go. Could this be allergy? What else could cause this? Are these "skin folds" and "puffy eyes" reversible? I am aware that the skin that makes up the eyelids is very delicate and prone to stretching. I'd really hate to get plastic surgery for this since it's so expensive, and i'm sure the insurance wouldn't cover it since they'd call it a cosmetic concern (as they did with my rosacea). I do not think puffy eyes are a hereditary trait in my family, because I have pictures of me when I was 16 and 17 with normal-looking eyes, and none of my immediate family members have puffy eyes.


Also I have a couple gaps in my eyebrows (where I believe some little eczema patches are). What could cause that? And no I don't rub them. I also have missing eyelashes on my lower lids in the corners of my eyes that lead to my nose.


The main thing that's bothering me here is the way that my eyes look. I'm only 19 so I wouldn't expect my eyelids to sag this early. And the assymetry from one eylid being saggier than the other bothers me a lot.


So i'm wondering what caused this? Could it have been from me rubbing them too much when I had blepharitis? Did the eyelid just stretch? Or can allergies do this? If allergies are responsible, then I have constant allergies, because this has never gone away... And I would expect my other eye to be just as swelled/saggy.


Can I post links to pictures on this forum? If so, then I will post pictures of my eyes to give something more tangible to go on.


Comments?