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In mid 2012 we learned that a company called Tissue Tech was going to trial single use T4O wipes as a treatment for ocular demodex mites.
Early last year Bio-Tissue Inc., the parent company of Tissue Tech announced the release of Cliradex. This new product is promoted as a tea tree oil based moist towelette used for “eye conditions such as blepharitis, ocular rosacea, dry eye, conjuctivitis and other eye disorders”.
Bio Tissue have championed the use of 4-Terpeneol, an active in Tea Tree Oil – also known as Melaleuca alternifolia.
What is Cliradex?
Cliradex is a moist towlette cleanser that contains an extract from tea tree oil. You wipe your closed eye lids and let them dry for 1 minute.
The extract, Terpinen-4-ol (T4O) is the most abundant of the 100 components of Tea Tree Oil, typically comprising 30%. In fact the international standard for Tea Tree Oil, ISO 4730 stipulates that TTO should contain between 30% and 48% of terpinen-4-ol.
The makers of Cliradex tell us that terpinen-4-ol is less irritating than tea tree oil.
Is Cliradex FDA Approved?
No Cliradex has not been approved as a treatment for any condition.
You can read the guarded terminology typical of treatments that are not officially FDA approved but are still promoted for particular conditions at the Cliradex web site – http://www.cliradex.com
You will see Cliradex described as a “lash, eyelid and facial cleanser” – whereas the clinical trial in 2012 clearly targeted the towlettes as being able to kill demodex mites living in the eyelid.
If you do try Cliradex be sure to remember that just because the main active ingredient is touted as being organic, it may still be intensely irritating and cause you unintended side effects.
The Cliradex web site somewhat cutely and proudly tells us that their product is preservative free, when we know it contains T4O, an active extract from a noxious oil. It seems clear that Cliradex doesn’t need a extra preservative.
Dr. Scheffer C.G. Tseng, the director of R&D at TissueTech is in the inventor and patent holder for Cliradex, and has recevied NIH funding to determine the important active ingredient in Tea Tree Oil.
More Information
For more information on recent thoughts on managing Blepharitis see;
Clinical Update: Cornea, July 2012
Managing Blepharitis: Tried-and-True and New Approaches
By Annie Stuart, Contributing Writer
Interviewing J. Daniel Nelson, MD, Henry D. Perry, MD, and Scheffer C. G. Tseng, MD, PhDMighty Mites ?
Tea tree oil. With both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, tea tree oil has been effective at eradicating mites, said Dr. Tseng, in either 50 percent lid scrubs or 5 percent lid massages.
Because higher concentrations can be irritating, however, his team (with research supported by the National Eye Institute) worked to identify the active ingredient in tea tree oil for killing mites.
They have developed a treatment containing this ingredient, which is better tolerated by patients. Dr. Tseng said, “This new lid scrub regimen, known as Cliradex, will be available this year.”
Where to buy Cliradex
Cliradex appears to be available at DirectDermacare and via some eyecare practitioners. A box of 24 wipes costs $43.
Cliradex also appears to be available at Amazon – Cliradex Lash, Eyelid and Facial Cleanser.
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- Treating Ocular Rosacea
I tried Cliradex wipes on my lids for 2 days (2 applications a day) and found them intensely irritating. They created a degree of swelling in my upper lid which worsened my ocular rosacea, and in turn created severe dry eye. It took my eyes 3 months to recover. I would caution anyone against using this product on their lids or anywhere near the eyes, particularly if you have ocular rosacea.
i will not use them I was given samples and I don’t need any irritating for my roscea I stopped using ocusoft for that reason and switched to systanne wipes
Cliradex cam out with tips to avoid a “burn” sensation.
“In a regular usage, Cliradex could give a small sting, nothing uncomfortable. It should feel like a fresh, menthol like sensation.
If you are experiencing a burning sensation, there may be several causes:
1 – If you are applying Cliradex after a hot shower, skin pores are opened and you will get a stronger sting or burning sensation than normal. Try to use Cliradex in the evening, or wait 5-10mn after your shower.
2 – Too much scrubbing! If you are using other products to clean your eyelids, like wipes or makeup remover, the eyelid skin may be more sensitive than normal. This will result in a stronger sting sensation when using Cliradex.
3 – If Cliradex got in your eyes, it will burn. Please rinse with water.
4 – Finally, it could be allergy. Very few people experience this, but it is possible to be allergic to essential oils.
We recommend that during the application:
1 – Closes eyes firmly without squinting too much.
2 – Gently wipe the foam across the lid and surrounding skin. Don’t try to press too much on your eyelid skin or into the eye’s corner (caruncle).
3 – Allow the product to air dry briefly (30s) before opening eyes.”
Make sure that your eye doctor has recommended that you try cliradex before starting it, it isn’t for everyone. It is expensive but I found it for cheaper on amazon when buying it in 2,3,or 4 box packs with seller “EyeWarmers dot com”. Shipping was fast and even upgraded me for free to expedited shipping.
Good luck to everyone with Demodex, cliradex helped me, but like I said make sure you check with you Optometrist or ophthalmologist before starting treatment. And yes it burns but I got used to it.
I found it available for quite a bit less at http://www.buycliradexonline.com and I used promo code “eyetalk” to save even more, it may not be valid for everyone, but give it a try. Shipping was as fast when I ordered it on amazon.
It has helped my dry eye tremendously, hopefully it will do the same for you!
For the last couple of years I’ve suffered from bleary, irritated eyes with flaky lashes that started to grow sideways, and a constant sense that there was ‘something’ in my left eye. My well-respected M.D. Ophthalmologist was no help at all during my twice-a-year visits. He said I didn’t have blepharitis and wrote an Rx for antibiotic ointment to use at night to ‘soothe’ my eyes. It was useless. He even pointed out to me that I had mild facial (not ocular) Rosacea (I didn’t know that) and should see a dermatologist. He always uses a slit-lamp and all the other high-tech exam tools, so why didn’t he think it might be dermodex??
I did my own research, self-diagnosed with dermodex, and bought a box of Cliradex. I’m VERY satisfied with the results! Symptoms started disappearing after only a few days and after 3 weeks were virtually gone. Because Cliradex is so expensive, I hoped I wouldn’t have to keep using it, and switched to the old washcloth and baby shampoo scrubs for the last 6 days. But just this morning, I felt the ‘something’s in my eye’ sensation start up again, and slight redness started to develop near that area. So I went ahead and ordered the next box from Amazon.
Yes, the wipes sting. It’s not awful, and it stops in less than a minute. Despite the stinging and the expense, I’m probably going to continue to use Cliradex indefinitely. It’s so good to have my clear, bright, comfortable eyes back again!
Comment from RubyRose
“After tons of reading about Dr. Safran and Dr. Tseng’s successes with tea tree scrubs, I’ve been doing that but found it wasn’t helping much at all and, if anything, seemed to be burning and irritating my eyes. I finally found an ophthalmologist on the Cliradex site and saw him last week.
By this time, I’d lost faith in tea tree oil and had no hope that Cliradex would help but bought a box, just to try.
The first use was a little scary…major burning and bumps, like a bad allergic reaction. But about a minute later, it all went away and my eyes felt good and clear, not itchy for the first time in months. That night I used it on my face, too, with the same results..it really seems to kill demodex fast and was nothing like the usual tea tree oil.
It’s still early to be too optimistic but so far it’s sort of miraculous. They told me at the office that it contains metaleuca which is in tea tree and not the tea tree oil, itself. But whatever, I’m hopeful again and plan to keep this product on hand forever. Too bad it’s so expensive but when you’re desperate…”
I was diagnosed with Blepharitis by my opthalmologist last fall. He offered only a cortisone cream, cautioning that I should use it sparingly because it tended to thin the skin of the eyelids. It was scarcely better than nothing. I went on a Google search for something that was specifically for Blepharitis. Luckily I came up with Cliradex and ordered it through Amazon.com, though it was expensive ($42 for a box of wipes). Unlike some others who also discovered Cliradex, I did not have difficulty with sensitivity to the solution on the wipes. After using the pads for about a month, I no longer had the weepy stuff from my eyebrows and eyelashes that was causing irritation and “crystals” that would harden and break off onto my eyes. I continue to use Cliradex a little less often now, every other day and have no symptoms of Blepharitis at this time. I recommend the wipes very highly — I had thought I might be stuck with no good treatment and a very annoying chronic condition.
Here’s a follow-up to my previous comments. Cliradex did indeed clear up the notion that I had Blepharitis because the irritant stopped dropping onto my eyelid. Going on further, I determined that something was amiss with my eyebrows. They were “infected,” I thought, with fungus. But instead, it seemed I really had seborrheic dermatitis, which had been diagnosed in my scalp years earlier by a physician at the medical center attached to Wake Forest University Medical School in Winston-Salem. I had extremely oily skin as a teen-ager, but it appeared to calm down and beome less oily as the years rolled on. Little did I know that the oil that was produced in my hair follicles was being deposited on top of the skin of my face and below the surface as well. It finally had no place to go but out, through my eyebrows. Now, several years later, I’m using Derm Essentials to liquify the dried oil and faux skin on my face. I’m nearly there. Derm Essentials is not irritating. It comes in a mixture of tea tree oils plus beeswax. It’s the seborrheic dermatitis that’s irritating. My eyebrows had become folded in upon themselves, gluing themselves together with the thick oil. Skin was also glued together on my forehead. I have a little bit of a hard time describing what has happened, because it sounds preposterous. I must have had the condition for nearly 60 years. Now it’s under better control. I’ll let you know the next chapter.
Do you have Rosacea on your face?
I have had rosacea at least 20 years and acne before that for 38 years. I tried everything. Hormones and Accutane and antibiotics all worked reasonably well, but are not safe to take for prolonged periods. I have oily skin and was getting new papules every day. Doxycycline had quit working when I tried Cliradex. I have not had one papule since starting to wipe my face with it 4 months ago! I did have one papule under my chin until I started wiping there. It did not make me sting except on the eyelids.
It is a little too drying for the skin around my eyes, so I only use there once a week. I use nothing else. I used it twice a day for 2 months, then started using it once a day, Now I use it once every other day. It has been miraculous for me. My skin is still too oily, but it keeps the p&p away even when I flush.
After using these wipes did your rosacea on your face get better?
Cliradex is horrible and expensive, it burns and stings the eyelids for hours….no help or relief with demodex…few drops of deleted tea tree oil on cotton ball works much better…
As will always be the case, Cliradex will not work for everyone. I find Cliradex does NOT burn me more than a couple of seconds. The trick is to use it properly. I’ve used Tea tree oil also but don’t have as good results.
Cliradex is Horrible horrible – very expensive wipe, it burned my eyes for hours, would not recommend it to anyone, stay away from it if you care for your eyes….
Here is a link to a just published single patient case report.
Successful management of chronic Blepharo-rosacea associated demodex by lid scrub with terpinen-4-ol
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34368495/