Blepharitis or simply inflammation of the eyelids that frequently causes itching, irritation and redness to the eye. It is more common in older people and the is sometimes confused with conjunctivitis.
There are two types of Blepharitis:

-Anterior blepharitis which affects the front of the eye lids and looks a bit like dandruff and
-Posterior blepharitis which affects the back of the eye lids and is the more common type.

Unfortunately Blepharitis is a lifelong disease and anyone affected will need to take great care in their eye hygiene for the rest of their life. A doctor or optometrist will usually give careful instructions to patients affected on the exact procedure to use when cleaning their eyes.

Ptosis of the eyelid is sometimes incorrectly diagnosed as “lazy eye” because of the dropping of the upper eyelid that this disease causes. If a patient is born with Ptosis it is referred to as “Congenital ptosis” but it is more frequently seen in older patients with detiorating muscles in the eyelids. The most common treatment is a surgical procedure involving either “Levator resection”, “Mueller muscle resection” or a “Frontalis sling operation”.

Xanthelasmata is a distinct collection of cholesterol under the skin which is yellow in color and most commonly appears on the eyelid. It is not really a harmful or painful disease people affected frequently find the appearance disfiguring and go on to remove them. Xanthelasmata is more common among people of Asian or Mediterranean descent and it is a hereditary disease. In cases were Xanthelasmata is present but not inherited it is frequently due to a high level of cholesterol in the blood, and anyone affected should also take a blood test to check their cholesterol levels. The removal of Xanthelasmata can be done with trichloroacetic acid but any treatment should always be carried out by a medical professional.

There are a number of other diseases of the eye including parasitic infestations of the eyelid that we are unable to describe in this brief article.