“hi catherine:

i can only tell you that there are occasionally days where they feel and look better. i have had this for my entire life and have learned to live with it. washing my eyelids helps a little but it is a frustrating thing. people don’t understand that it is not only a cosmetic thing but a physical pita.lol. my eyes feel like there is sand in them, they hurt, they itch and they strain easily. other than that, it’s great! lol. you kind of get use to the redness and bloodshot eyes but you feel very insecure and self-conscious. the thing is drug companies have come up with drugs to grow eyelashes, tighten skin and improve your love life but nobody seems to be doing anything for this serious and uncomfortable ailment. I never realized there were so many millions of people suffering with rosacea. I don’t and never has rosacea on my skin but have had eye rosacea for 35 years. Go figure.\Well tell your husband to keep the faith. Eye refeshing tear drops help as do eye compresses.
write me anytime.

Mark”

I have been diagnoised with Morgellons disease and have been searching the internet for two years. I believe this is the connection.

OK I’m no Opthamologist, you might have a better chance with your text books, but let me have a try.

Punctal Occlusion

This is the easy one. The punctual plugs are where the tears drain out of the eye – in the corners of the eye towards the nose. If the eyes are not wet enough from your own tears, a doctor may put a plug into the `drain’ to slow the exit of tears.

Punctate Epitheliopathy

An epithelium is the covering of the eye, so this sounds like a disease of the epithelium seen as small holes or elevations on the surface.

Mucopurulent Blepharoconjunctivitis

At a guess I’d say a form of blepharitis/conjuctivits where mucus and pus are present. The conjuctiva is of course one of the protective layers of the eye. Blepharitis is inflamation of the eyelid margins. So it sounds like a condition where the eyelid and eye surface is involved and pus/mucus is being produced.

I’d be happy for corrections !

I have had rosacea for several years, under control now, thank goodness, but I now realize from reading on this website (many thanks!) that my eye problems are ocular rosacea! However, as a sufferer rather than a medical practitioner, I am having a great deal of trouble understanding the terminology.
Could you please translate the above “Treating Occular Rosacea”. I have a medical dictionary in one hand and Google up on another tab. Still cannot find “punctate epitheliopathy” or “punctal occlusion” or “mucopurulent blepharoconjunctivitis”. Give me a break! I need to know what these are and what I can do about them or if I even have them!
I do understand about warm compresses and artificial tears and can start with those immediately to help alieviate some symptoms.
Thanks for all the help and the realization that I am not alone in this.

Terry

I think the idea of a best doctor may well be one of those concepts that are hard to pin down and may even consume and waste time – most especially because best will be a personal perception.

I haven’t sought out a doctor for ocular rosacea myself but I do know of a couple of doctors that have been very helpful to the online rosacea community.

Dr. Eric Jones, MD from the Devers Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon gave us a nice interview here: Ocular Rosacea: Dr. Eric Jones, MD as well as Ocular Rosacea: Dr. Mark J. Mannis, MD.

Dr. Mannis is an experienced Opthamologist Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science at the University of California, Davis – closer to you. I don’t know if he still se patients, but that might be worth investigating also.

You might also find some helpful people hanging out in the Ocular Rosacea Community forum.

Hope this helps,
davidp.

Your help is much appriciated,

Norman