Choices, choices

I wrote awhile back about the need to move past baby shampoo. While diluted baby shampoo can effectively treat some forms of blepharitis, it can also cause new problems for the tear film and the scientific consensus (ref. TFOS DEWS II Management and Therapy Report, 2017) is that eyelid hygiene products developed specifically for this purpose are a better way to go.

So in the past 10 years or so, the market has been flooded with one "lid scrub" product after another.

It's good to have choices, of course, because different things work for different people, but it's also confusing! 

Shop by form

• Pre-moistened pads, 
• Foams (most brands)
• Gels, e.g. Oasis 
• Sprays, e.g. HypoChlor
• Oils, e.g. WeLoveEyes

Shop by strength or ingredient

Conventional: There are many simple eyelid cleansers that do a great job and are perfectly adequate for standard needs. Not all are tolerated equally, though, it comes down to trying them and seeing which is most comfortable for you. 

Examples:

• Ocusoft standard lid foam or lid wipes
• Systane lid wipes
• Oasis Lid & Lash Gel

There are also "extra-strength" types in this category for those who need a stronger boost, like, Ocusoft's Lid Scrub Plus and Lid Scrub Plus Platinum. 

Tea tree oil: Lid products that contain tea tree oil are favored for controlling the demodex mites that are one of the causes of blepharitis for many people. Tea tree oil is not tolerated well by everyone though. It depends on the concentration and the other ingredients. 

Examples:

• Sterilid (which originated with Jeff Gilbard's TheraTears product line was the first well known product in this category.
• Cliradex has been a popular one for a long time though it's quite strong. They are available in both wipes and foam.
• Eye Eco's tea tree products are popular for being quite gentle and reasonably priced. 
• WeLoveEyes has popular line including foam and oils.
• Oasis has tea tree wipes in a sealed container.
• And there's Ocusoft's Oust Demodex line, and many more.

Hypochlorous acid

• Avenova (typically sold in eyecare practices) at 0.01% kicked off the popularity of hypochlorous acid
• Ocusoft makes an 0.02% concentration product called HypoChlor, available in both a spray and a spray gel.
• Many other private labels now make hypochlorous acid derivative products as well.

Manuka honey: There are more and more people these days with multiple chemical sensitivities who need to avoid any unnecessary chemicals. And of course many of us simply want to keep our eyecare as natural as possible. We recently added a product that's pure cosmetic grade manuka honey packaged specifically for blepharitis. [2023 Note: Sadly this was discontinued!]