Disclaimer: I am an eye doctor at Premier Eyecare Associates. Many of the products and procedures I discuss are those that my practice offers, because I trust the peer-reviewed research or my own or my patients’ experiences backing them. I am also an Amazon Affiliate for a few products my practice does not provide but that I think could help my patients, and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Ultimately, since all individuals are unique and I do not know your exact medical history, you should ask your own eye care provider about any medical advice or products mentioned. However, know that all my recommendations are solely based on the best interest of my patients & readers. Thank you!
Benefits of lid hygiene
- Prevents grittiness and foreign body sensation from lash debris that can irritate eyes.
- Prevents eye infections, styes and other lid conditions, and meibomian gland dysfunction (the leading cause of dry eye – Check out my post for Everything you’d ever want to know about Dry Eye Disease!).
- Improves effectiveness of warm compresses for those suffering from and undergoing meibomian gland dysfunction treatment.
- Improves how your lashes and eyes look.
Which cleaner is best?
I personally use Vision Cleanse on a cotton round every morning on my eyelids and on my lashes to treat my blepharitis and improve my meibomian gland treatment. Vision Cleanse is a hypochlorous acid spray that kills both bacteria and viruses but is broken down by skin proteins after a time on the lid surface. Here’s how to use it. I love it since it is extremely effective in terms of both treatment and cost (each bottle contains 330 sprays). It is produced by Pure & Clean in my home state of Missouri! Order from Premier Eyecare today!
- Other lid scrubs include:
- Ocusoft Original lid scrub (must rinse off the eyes after application)
- Ocusoft Plus lid scrub (don’t have to rinse off the eyes after application)
- Cliradex
How to use Vision Cleanse
- Wash hands thoroughly.
- Apply 3 sprays of Vision Cleanse or Hydrogel along one side of a cotton round (above).
- Fold cotton round around your index finger, pull your lower lid down with your other hand, and scrub bottom lashes. Release bottom lid.
- Then close the eye you are treating and scrub the upper lashes and lid margin.
- As long as there is no significant eye infection in one eye compared to the other, you can use the same side of the cotton round on the other eye in the same way. If significant debris in the lashes or if eye infection exists, use a new cotton round or flip the current cotton round and apply 3 sprays to the other side before repeating for the other eye.
- Repeat this process every morning upon waking and/or before bed every evening, based on your doctor’s prescribing instructions.