Alternatives for baby shampoo...using it for an eye wash

[Tap]

The dr diagnosed me with dry eyes/blephitis today. They want me to wash my eyes daily with J&J Baby Shampoo. I loath J&J Baby Shampoo. Any alternatives that will work?

 

Does anyone know if it is the eye numbing agent that they use or something else about J&J that would make them recommend this product?

 

I can call tomorrow, but I was going to the store tonight to get some. My eyes hurt and I need something; I just don't want to buy J&J.

[Alphabetika]

My dd had this issue for years, during which our optometrist told her to wash her eyes with baby shampoo - it's non-sting, and it washes the flaky dryness out of the eyelashes.

 

I have dry eyes (fancy name: ocular rosacea) and for treating just the dryness part, I love an eyedrop called Optive.

[LibraryLover]

Buy a different baby shampoo brand? :)

Edited December 29, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Denisemomof4]

that's CRAZY!!!

 

I found some AWESOME drops that treat dry eyes, conjunctivitis, and even a corneal scratch! They are gentle and natural. I got them at the local HFS. I just checked the medicne shelf and they aren't there. They are SO good. Go to your local HFS to check I can't find the drops I used but the local HFS can help you. I know they had belladonna in them. I've used them many times! I'm sorry I can't help more.

 

I owe you a PM. I'm sorry!

[Harriet Vane]

I have the same issue with my eyes. My dr explained that the reason for the daily washing is to clear the ducts (mucous membranes??? not sure really of the exact term). He told me that the baby shampoo is specifically because it does not sting. A dermatologist recommended dandruff shampoo for the problem, FWIW. I use whatever baby shampoo I can find, in addition to eye drops (either Blink or Boston rewetting drops). It really does help--I can feel the difference if I skip washing a day or two.

[Aggie]

My dh, who was trained in Navy medicine, will use baby shampoo to temporarily treat pink eye in a pinch.

 

When I mentioned that before on this forum, another poster was adamant that baby shampoo was like putting poison in the eyes....all the chemicals.

 

So who knows?

[specialmama]

Did you know that Aveeno and Johnson & Johnson are both owned by the same company? Same with Neutrogena, Band-Aid, Motrin, Tylenol.... all one company. That said, Aveeno has some amazing baby shampoo. My favourite one is baby shampoo and body wash, it smells divine!

[JudyJudyJudy]

I wouldn't put Johnson & Johnson on my head, let alone in my eyes. Testing of J & J baby shampoo showed that it had formaldehyde in it, among other harmful ingredients.

[AuntieM]

I have blepharitis and borderline (clinical) dry eyes. My ophthalmologist is a Harvard trained specialist in treating these conditions; patients come hundreds of miles to see him. He participates in many clinical trials and really gave me a diagnosis and treatment plan that 3 other ophthalmologists missed.

 

He recommends the baby shampoo.

 

But the real trick is to do hot compresses twice each day. Blepharitis is a condition in which the oil secreted by the glands that rim the eye becomes too thick to flow normally. It results in clogged glands as well as poor lubrication in the eye. It gives one the feeling of constantly having something in the eye, but there's no real foreign body in the eye and it is difficult to relieve the eye discomfort, even with drops (though they may give temporary relief).

 

Each morning and evening, get a washcloth and soak it under the hottest temperature water you can tolerate. Place this over your closed eyes for a minimum of 3 minutes, preferably 5, rewetting the washcloth when it cools. Usually I rewarm a washcloth once or twice.

 

Immediately after doing the "hot soak" (as my doc calls it), gently apply pressure in 4 different places along both the upper and lower lash lines. This will help express oil plugs softened by the heat treatment. After that, wash the lashes gently with the baby shampoo. I sometimes follow that with preservative free lubricating drops, mostly because it helps reduce the redness from applying heat to the eyes (can make you look a little bloodshot).

 

Blepharitis can take two forms. In one, you typically have lots of crustiness form on your lashes. In the other (anterior blepharitis, which I have, and have also heard called ocular rosacea), you have a lot of discomfort in the eye and under the eyelid, and may not have crusty lashes. If you have anterior blepharitis, simply washing the lids will not provide the relief you want and need. The hot soaks are absolutely essential.

 

A course of tetracycline/doxycycline can also be effective. However, I do not like the side effects of doxycycline and only use it when I cannot get relief without it. This drug thins the oil to prevent it from getting clogged in the oil ducts.

 

You can manage the symptoms, and get relief. Personally, I believe that climate and hormonal changes greatly influence my condition. So sometimes I can anticipate the onset (ie, when we start using the heater in the winter, at the midpoint of my cycle), and be proactive in treatment.

 

I wouldn't worry about the baby shampoo. If you get into a good habit of hot soaks, you may reduce the need for the shampoo and may be able to get by with some gentle lash wiping with a warm wash cloth following each soak. By the way, you might want to be sure you have some 100% cotton wash cloths, they are easier on the skin.

 

Hope you are feeling better soon. Oh, did your doc tell you that a symptom of blepharitis is increased sensitivity to bright light? Be sure you have and use a good pair of sunglasses. I also try to avoid narrow two lane roads at night and stick to divided highways when possible for night driving.

[Gailmegan]

My natural-minded pediatrician had me treat my son's pink eye by washing with baby shampoo. It's the tear-free part that matters, not the J&J. It was a few years ago, so I forget what brand I used, but I found one at a HFS with no evil additives and ds's pink eye was gone in a few days. It was much better than dealing with a prescription.

[Tap]

I have blepharitis and borderline (clinical) dry eyes. My ophthalmologist is a Harvard trained specialist in treating these conditions; patients come hundreds of miles to see him. He participates in many clinical trials and really gave me a diagnosis and treatment plan that 3 other ophthalmologists missed.

 

He recommends the baby shampoo.

 

But the real trick is to do hot compresses twice each day. Blepharitis is a condition in which the oil secreted by the glands that rim the eye becomes too thick to flow normally. It results in clogged glands as well as poor lubrication in the eye. It gives one the feeling of constantly having something in the eye, but there's no real foreign body in the eye and it is difficult to relieve the eye discomfort, even with drops (though they may give temporary relief).

 

Each morning and evening, get a washcloth and soak it under the hottest temperature water you can tolerate. Place this over your closed eyes for a minimum of 3 minutes, preferably 5, rewetting the washcloth when it cools. Usually I rewarm a washcloth once or twice.

My dr insisted on this too. I mentioned to her that it really hurts to put anything warm/hot on my eyes when it is inflamed. She said the steam from a hot shower will help but not as good as the hot washcloths. I told her I would try and see if I could 'tough out the soaks' lol. I used to love hot wash cloth soaks on my face as I used to use oil facial cleansing method. I stopped when this issue came about as it really hurts. Cold compresses are great...heat, not so good. She said if it was hurting to stop, as that was a sign that my body wasn't happy about it (A new dr for me, but she seems like a 'listen to the body' type of dr). I take very hot showers so maybe I can find a happy warm-middle ground. :D

 

 

Immediately after doing the "hot soak" (as my doc calls it), gently apply pressure in 4 different places along both the upper and lower lash lines. This will help express oil plugs softened by the heat treatment. After that, wash the lashes gently with the baby shampoo. I sometimes follow that with preservative free lubricating drops, mostly because it helps reduce the redness from applying heat to the eyes (can make you look a little bloodshot).

 

I haven't heard about the pressure idea. Will do :001_smile: She did give me some lube eye drops and said she wanted me to use specifically these ones. They are a 'restorative' formula and are supposed to help with this issue. --I hope it is more that just marketing! LOL They do have boric acid in them, so I think that may be the magic ingredient. BA has been around for a hundred years, but remarked it and it is million dollar industry lol.

Blepharitis can take two forms. In one, you typically have lots of crustiness form on your lashes. In the other (anterior blepharitis, which I have, and have also heard called ocular rosacea), you have a lot of discomfort in the eye and under the eyelid, and may not have crusty lashes. If you have anterior blepharitis, simply washing the lids will not provide the relief you want and need. The hot soaks are absolutely essential.

 

I have the later. It often feels like I have an eyelash in my eye. When I look I can find tiny little bumps. No crustys, just a substance that looks/feels like very fine sand. The pain is often heralded with finding the sandy like substance in my eye that hurts like bit of sharp glass moving around in my eye. ..... okay, I will tough out the hot soaks if it helps with that part! Last night I had to sleep holding the corner of my eye open until I could fall asleep it hurt so bad. I had washed my eyes and put a gob of lube gel up under my eye lids. It still hurt so bad. That is what finally got me to go to the dr today, I had finally had enough. Last night, any time I let go of my eye lid the bump pressed on my eye and it felt like a shard of glass was in my eye. When I woke up this morning, I didn't want to open my eye. Even over night, my brain remembered and I woke with just one eye open. I wasn't in pain when I woke up but I didn't want to open it, just in case it was going to come back. I had to tell my brain to open the other eye, I was so worried that the pain would still be there. It wasn't too bad, more like having an eyelash in my eye than sand, but definitely not gone. After a hot shower, the pain was getting worse (something about the heat really bothers it) so I called and got into the dr today.

 

I also have rosacea of the face....I wonder if it is related?

 

 

A course of tetracycline/doxycycline can also be effective. However, I do not like the side effects of doxycycline and only use it when I cannot get relief without it. This drug thins the oil to prevent it from getting clogged in the oil ducts.

 

She didn't seem to think it was infection related and didn't mention the oil benefits of antibiotic use. I have a follow up/full eye exam in 3 weeks. They want me to try the soaks, soap and eye drops and report back. If those don't help, treatment will progress from there. I get GI issues from both those drugs so I doubt I will try them unless things get worse.

 

You can manage the symptoms, and get relief. Personally, I believe that climate and hormonal changes greatly influence my condition. So sometimes I can anticipate the onset (ie, when we start using the heater in the winter, at the midpoint of my cycle), and be proactive in treatment.

 

I am on high doses of antihistamines right now for another mucous membrane issue I am having. The antihistamines help with that. They may be causing the dry eye part. :glare: OR the blepheritis may just be one more symptom of the mucous membrane issue. :001_huh:

I wouldn't worry about the baby shampoo. If you get into a good habit of hot soaks, you may reduce the need for the shampoo and may be able to get by with some gentle lash wiping with a warm wash cloth following each soak. By the way, you might want to be sure you have some 100% cotton wash cloths, they are easier on the skin.

Did he recommend a certain brand of shampoo? I guess I can get over J&J and use it. I think I have a mental issue with companies that tell me my baby should smell like chemicals...instead of babies. I just need to remember it is for me, not my sweet little angels.

 

Hope you are feeling better soon. Oh, did your doc tell you that a symptom of blepharitis is increased sensitivity to bright light? Be sure you have and use a good pair of sunglasses. I also try to avoid narrow two lane roads at night and stick to divided highways when possible for night driving.

 

 

LOL She didn't have to tell me...I already knew LOL Learned that the first day....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do your eye ache? Mine feel sunburned sometimes. Just so dry, raw and achy. A deep ache not just on top. I forgot to ask her about it. I know the drops will help with the dryness but what about the ache?

 

Did you try oral fish or flax oil? Any benefits?

 

Do you have any tricks for not rubbing your eyes all the time. I catch myself After I do it and feel the sandy stuff scratching my skin when I rub them. :(

 

Has the doctor ever told you what the sandy stuff was? I am curious how something so sharp comes out of my eye LOL It feels like I am crying diamonds. Thanks for the information...I really apreciate it. If you think of anything else please don't hesitate to post or pm me.

 

~Tap

Edited July 6, 2011 by Tap, tap, tap

[LibraryLover]

How can my spell -check allow me such disaster spelling. I should never post again. lol

[Tap]

Thanks everyone. At least I know it is a common request LOL. I never made it last night, so think I will head to the HFS today and see what they have.

[Tap]

How can my spell -check allow me such disaster spelling. I should never post again. lol

 

I would never notice. I am a terrible speller. There are times when spell check tells me I spelled somthing wrong and I say "hmmm, I have spelled it that way my entire life" LOL Winning a spelling bee is not something I will ever aspire to.

[AuntieM]

Hey tap, sorry it took me so long to get back here. We just moved and I've been using my phone to read and post, and it's hard to give a long response on the phone.

 

I hope by now you are feeling better, your eyes, anyway. How have the hot soaks been going?

 

Just to answer some things you mentioned, yes! I completely understand that deep, dull ache. And my eye doc understands it, too, because when I first started going to him he said he knew that I was feeling pain and that he hoped to help alleviate that.

 

FWIW, I cannot use any type of gel (typically glycerin based) eye lubricants. They feel good when I put them in at night, but they always make my symptoms worse come morning. I found that very frequent use of just the regular drops worked better. I mean, I put them in at regular intervals four times daily whether or not my eyes felt dry at the time. After a couple of days I would feel caught up in eye moisture.

 

My problems started when I moved from the very humid Florida peninsula to the high plains of the western midwest. The wind there was just awful (and it's still pretty stiff where I am now). So sunglasses, for me, do more than block bright sunlight. They also function as a windshield. I will not wear reading magnifiers on a string around my neck - still too young for that - but gosh darnit, I am willing to consider it doing it with my sunglasses! My eyes used to hurt all the time and although I saw a corneal specialist, no one picked up on the blepharitis until I moved here. Let me tell you, a good, accurate diagnosis is priceless!

 

When we moved to our present city, I fell victim to the worst sort of allergies. I have never had allergies in my life, but was near bedridden for about the first year here! Anyway, I took lots of antihistamines and of course, that made things worse. After three growing seasons I have acclimated somewhat, but my eye doc says I am NOT to take systemic antihistamines unless there is no other way I can get relief. I use Veramyst, a nasal corticosteroid, to calm the worst of my allergies now. If I need something stronger, I'll take Benadryl at bedtime. Once in a blue moon I will take Zyrtec or Claritin for a couple of days, but I notice it truly does make my eyes feel drier and I have to start my drops-4-times-a-day routine while I'm on it.

 

And as far as the doxycyclene, no, no infection was involved. It is strictly to thin the oil. I also have rosacea, though I haven't had a real outbreak with blistering for years, I just look a bit red-faced without makeup. I believe there is a huge correlation between rosacea and anterior blepharitis. I have to say, the Rx made my skin look better. If you are really in pain with the eyes and really flared up with the rosacea, it may be an option for you. However, from another thread I know you have some other stuff going on and it might not be a good time to introduce optional meds.

 

My doc is currently doing clinical trials using a very fine wire to manually clear the tear ducts around the eyes. He says the results he is seeing are very good, and said he'd do the procedure on me if I want it. It looks like something that would be a great alternative to meds. But I just smiled and told him I was too big a chicken to do it yet! Nice to know it's an option, though. My eyes have actually been in good shape for about 9 months now, so I am just continuing to take my fish oil, Vitamin D, hot soak as necessary and moisturing drops when I start to feel a bit dry.

 

I hope you can get relief. It really is very painful and when there's something going on with your eyes, it, well, just can make you feel very irritable and vulnerable in addition to just plain hurting. No fun!

 

 

ETA _ I missed answering a few of your questions...

 

No special brand of baby shampoo was recommended. I think many people just assume J&J, ya know, like every tissue is a Kleenex and every cotton swab is a Q-tip.

 

Those dry crystals, I think that's debris pushed out of the oil ducts without being softened, so, oil crystals? Just guessing.

 

Yes, fish oil helps. It helps a lotta things, dry eyes/blepharitis included.

 

As far as keeping my hands off, well, there are times they get itchy and I give 'em a swipe. I really have tried to train myself to go get a warm washcloth when they start bothering me. I just cannot go on enough about how helpful that has been for me. Also, when I was really at the worst of it, when I was tempted to rub I would instead try to us wetting drops, at that time that little bottle was my constant companion.

Edited July 15, 2011 by AuntieM

[Karen in CO]

My eye doc recommended Eyelid scrubs by OcuSoft or a cotton pad thingy and any baby shampoo with that has a No Tears additive to numb the eyes so it doesn't burn when you put soap on the eyelid. He said to use a washcloth or the cotton thingys because you won't get a good abrasive scrub to loosen the oil with your fingers.

[laundrycrisis]

Does anyone know if it is the eye numbing agent that they use or something else about J&J that would make them recommend this product?

 

 

There is no numbing agent. It is a formulation that does not irritate eyes.

 

http://for-baby-care.info/why-does-johnsons-baby-shampoo-not-cause-tears.html

 

It is fine to wash your eyes with a solution of it anytime you need to degunk your eyes from any sort of discharge.

[AuntieM]

My eye doc recommended Eyelid scrubs by OcuSoft or a cotton pad thingy and any baby shampoo with that has a No Tears additive to numb the eyes so it doesn't burn when you put soap on the eyelid. He said to use a washcloth or the cotton thingys because you won't get a good abrasive scrub to loosen the oil with your fingers.

 

Oh yes, these are great! My dd has a touch of the other sort of blepharitis and she will not agree to washing with baby shampoo. But her eye doc gave her a sample of the OcuSoft scrubs and she really likes them! They are good for removing eye make up, too, especially for a teen who is prone to otherwise doing a less than thorough job.;)

[Guest piggleypooh]

Unless you like pain--DO NOT, I repeat--DO NOT--use it as an eye wash. It may work for some, but not everyone. Then decide if it was worth the chance. Having to go see an eye specialist now--I would say NO.