Eczema On The Eyes: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment – Greatist

Eczema is a group of skin conditions that 31 million people in the United States live with, according to the National Eczema Association. Patches of dry, leathery, or blistered-covered skin anywhere on your body are eczemas deal and its not pleasant.

Types of eczema that affect your eyes

Here are the types of eczema most likely to appear near your eyes:

Many types of eczema can form around your eyes. Youll sometimes hear them referred to as eyelid dermatitis, although eyelids arent your only eye-adjacent face spaces at risk.

We break down what types of eczema can affect your eyelids and the types of treatments that may work for you.

Super flaky eyelids? We can help you work out whether its eczema or not.

Eczema is defined as dry, red or discolored, itchy, and scaly skin. It can occur around your eyes.

When discussing eczema around your eyes, there are three noteworthy types of eczema:

Doctors sometimes refer to all three as eyelid dermatitis (when they pop up on your eyelids, obvs).

This is the most common eczema around. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, around 16.5 million of 31 million folks with eczema in the United States have the atopic variety, and around 20 percent of kids are thought to have it, according to a 2010 research review. So yeah, super common.

Atopic eczema is what most people mean when they say eczema. Its rough patches of skin that itch, like, a lot. Obviously, theres more to atopic eczema than that but thats the tl;dr version.

Your flimsy, sensitive eyelid skin is prone to atopic eczema. It can appear anywhere though, and atopic eczema can also develop on your cheeks, nose, eyebrows, and whatever that bit of your face is called where crows feet develop.

Seborrhoeic dermatitis mainly happens on your scalp. You know the cradle cap that babies get? Thats seborrhoeic dermatitis. It presents as dry flaky skin that appears in patches.

As scalp-associated as it is, seborrhoeic dermatitis around your eyes isnt uncommon. Patches of seborrhoeic dermatitis or seborrhoeic eczema can appear anywhere around your eyes but are most common where your eyelids and eyes meet.

Also called contact dermatitis, this is an irritation caused by touching something that your skin takes a severe disliking to. There are two types.

Irritant contact eczema is from substances that negatively affect your skin no matter who you are. Poisonous plants and irritant chemicals are the most common catalysts.

Allergic contact eczema is when a flare-up happens because of something that your skin shouldnt have an issue with. The clue is in the name, but allergic contact eczema is a fancier medical term for your common-or-garden allergic skin reaction.

It can occur around your eyes because, as we all know, its embarrassingly easy to get stuff in your eyes. Makeup and swimming pool chlorine are common reasons for contact eczema in your eye region. So is jizz.

Each case of eczema is different. That being said, there are common symptoms that can appear across every type with varying degrees of severity.

Heres the eczema stuff that can happen around your eyes:

Eczema cant directly cause blindness. However, having eczema around your eyes increases your risk of eye conditions which can lead to blindness.

This risk increases the longer your eye eczema is left untreated. If youre experiencing an eczema flare-up around your eyes and start having vision problems you should consult your doctor ASAP.

Eczema isnt the only condition that can make your skin around your eyes red or discolored, swollen, and really sore.

There are a few other common ailments that present in a similar way (and in most cases develop as a result of eye eczema-based complications). Some of these are:

Theres not a definitive reason that some people develop eczema. Even with contact eczema, science hasnt discovered why some people have allergic reactions to the stuff others can touch no-problemo.

You can develop any kind of eczema due to a mix of genetic and environmental factors. There are strong hereditary links, stress can play a big part, and your immune system is also a catalyst for many eczema types.

Theres no way to test if youre at a high risk of developing eczema (aside from others in your family experiencing it). Avoiding it may be impossible for some people. There are, however, known triggers that folks at risk of eczema are advised to steer clear of where they can.

Here are some common eczema triggers to avoid if youve got sensitive skin around your peepers:

Diagnosing eczema anywhere is actually super easy. They dont need to do lab tests or anything.

Your doctor will ask you a bunch of questions if youve had eczema in other places or have had any irritants near your eyes.

Once they ask some questions, theyll tell you if its eczema or not. The only extra step is that your doctor may want to do a patch test, which exposes an area of skin to allergens, to check for a reaction.

Home remedies for eczema near your eyes

There are plenty of home remedies that can treat eczema around your eyes and take the edge off uncomfortable symptoms.

If youre prone to eczema flare-ups, there are steps you can take to manage this and reduce the risk.

There are plenty of over-the-counter (OTC) and off-the-shelf treatments for eczema available at pharmacies.

If you develop eczema due to an allergic reaction, antihistamines can help you manage the itching and swelling.

Corticosteroids can also treat eczema itching, but using them around your eyes is risky (it can lead to glaucoma, which is really serious and 100 percent worse for your eyes than eczema).

Consult your doctor before trying any OTC treatment (especially if youre already on other medications or undergoing treatment for another condition).

If home remedies and OTC medication dont do the job, your doctor can prescribe more intensive treatment. Severe and recurring eczema will probably require some kind of prescription medication.

Your eyes are pretty sensitive. This may limit the treatments your doc can offer because they want to protect your eyes condition from becoming more severe. Prescription eczema treatments that are safe to use near your eyes include:

Eczema around your eyes isnt always serious, but it can become serious without treatment. It can also lead to serious conditions, some of which can make you experience blindness.

Eye-based eczema also presents more of a risk than some other eczemas simply because of how sensitive your eyes are.

As eyes are prone to infections and protected only by a thin membrane, eczema near your eyes is more likely to cause complications than an eczema patch on your belly or butt cheek.

Theres no way to prevent eczema flare-ups completely. You can significantly reduce the risks of them developing though.

Most of the home remedies and treatments to treat flare-ups also prevent them. Steps to keep eczema flare-ups at bay include:

The three main types of eczema that mess with your eyes are atopic eczema, contact eczema, and seborrheic dermatitis. Theres no single cause: Eczema usually develops due to a mix of genetic and environmental factors.

You cant prevent eczema flare-ups around your eyes, but you can minimize the risk by avoiding known triggers.

Theres plenty of home remedies that can treat eczema around your eyes (and almost prevent it from happening again). If these dont work there are plenty of OTC and prescription treatments as next steps.

Eczema near your eyes isnt normally serious but can be without treatment so get it sorted straight away.

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Eczema On The Eyes: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment - Greatist