What Medication is Available Online for Eye Eczema?
Eye eczema can be caused by a few different conditions. Indeed, eczema in the eye area is one of the more common areas for eczema to pose problems. If you have eczema elsewhere, particularly if you have atopic eczema or struggle with conditions such as hay fever or asthma, you may well find that your eyes are the area of skin which suffers the most.
Here we look into eye eczema medication and different choices for treatment according to the cause of the eczema.
Eczema around the eyes
Eczema can affect anywhere on the body and this includes around the eyes. Eye eczema is most common in those who have eczema elsewhere on their face. It can cause inflamed, dry, itchy and scaling skin, particularly around the eyelid.
The skin around the eye is very sensitive, and usually much thinner than elsewhere. This makes it more prone to being reactive. Indeed, most commonly eye eczema is caused by allergies and contact dermatitis.
Eye eczema can be distressing as well as irritating. It’s on show being on your face, and very difficult to cover up without making it worse.
Contact dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is the description for eczema caused by an allergy or irritation. Often, around the eye, the irritation may be caused by cosmetics and skincare products although it could be anything that you are allergic to, including pet and animal hair. Allergic contact dermatitis is when your immune system is responding to an allergen. This may be localized, or your eyes may be reacting to an allergen elsewhere (e.g. with hay fever) which causes watery eyes which aggravates the eye eczema.
With contact dermatitis, the simplest solution to help is to avoid the irritant or allergens e.g. stop using a particular facial skincare product. Remember that you may need to do a little detective work to figure out what the problem is. Your regular chosen skincare may have changed its formula, or you may be introducing an allergen or irritant to the eye area from elsewhere using your fingertips, simply by daily living. For example, it’s not uncommon for nail polishes to pose a problem, especially if you generally have sensitive or eczema-prone skin. Shockingly, some preservatives in contact lenses and their solutions, as well as in some eye drops, can actually cause contact dermatitis around the eye.
Do be aware that infections can occur in eye eczema. Look for weeping or crusting, and if necessary, seek medical help.
If a few days of avoiding the irritant or allergen doesn’t clear up the eczema then you’ll probably start searching for eye eczema treatment.
Eye eczema treatment
You have a few different options available to you. Emollients and mild steroids, which you apply topically, are often your first line of treatment. Very mild hydrocortisone (0.5-1%) can help. The skin around the eye is naturally thin and so only a mild hydrocortisone should be used and you should check that it is one suitable for use around the eye. It’s best to only use them for a short period, until the eczema flare has cleared up.
There are a couple of other options for eyelid eczema which many turn to. These are called Topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs). Two TCIs that you can buy online at International Pharmacy are Elidel (pimecrolimus) and Protopic (tacrolimus). Both of these creams are often prescribed for eye eczema.
Unlike even a mild hydrocortisone, TCIs aren’t steroids and as such there’s no risk to thinning the skin. The biggest issue is photosensitivity, so if you opt to use a TCI it’s important you take care in daylight, particularly in summer months. As such, it’s always best to apply the cream at night, when you won’t be exposed to the sun. This is also important as you can’t apply a TCI and then apply something like a sunscreen.
What else can help?
Sometimes the soreness and eczema is caused by a weeping eye due to dry eyes, blepharitis or allergic conjunctivitis. In these cases, it can really help to go right to the source of the issue and stop the watery eyes which cause the irritation.
Eye drops can really help here. At International Pharmacy we stock a range of eye drops that help to lubricate the eye and prevent weeping which irritates the sensitive surrounding skin.
Blepharitis is quite common and is often associated with seborrheic dermatitis which also affects the scalp, eyebrows and wider face. The itching caused can cause you to worsen the eczema symptoms. The same happens with allergic conjunctivitis. In both cases, it’s really important that you don’t scratch the skin as this will make your symptoms worse. Lubricating eye drops and warm compresses can help with this.
Order online and be in control
At International Pharmacy our aim is to provide you with a range of options, wherever you are, to take control of your own health and wellbeing decisions. You can order online with us and we ship eye eczema medication internationally. Just check if there are any restrictions for ordering in your country.