What Are the Differences Between Eye Cream for Ocular Rosacea and Eye Drops?

A women sent me a question asking what eye cream for ocular rosacea is and how it differs from eye drops. While I'm not exactly sure she means by eye cream and didn't respond to emails for clarification, I have two guesses.

Eye Lid Cream for Ocular Rosacea

When you have ocular rosacea, keeping your eyelids clean and moisturized is important. You want to prevent skin from drying out. You also don't want to blog the eyelash pores with dirt and oil.

I've actually started experimenting with not using a soap or face wash on my face at all. I stopped using a face was in November, and my pores are not blocked, my skin is smooth, and my rosacea hasn't been as dry this winter. It makes me think that face washes for rosacea are not that important. I rinse my face each morning and use a soft chamois cloth to pat it dry.

That said, it hasn't really changed my ocular rosacea much. I still get the itchy eyes and rely heavily on eye drops for rosacea.

My first thought is that eye cream for rosacea as she means it is eyelid cream/moisturizer. I came across a new eye cream for rosacea. It's not cheap, but it gets amazing reviews. A portion of all sales goes to charity to help those who cannot afford eye care. Heyedrate is supposed to help soothe styes, blepharitis, and issues with oil glands. If anyone has tried it, I'd love to hear more.

My second thought is that she means a gel-based cream to help ease the itching and scratchy feeling. Systane Nighttime Lubricant Eye Ointment is one of the better eye gels. This is a gel that you apply to your inner eyelid and then blink to spread it. It feels goopy, but the relief is fast and lasts most of, if not all of, the night. It will blur your vision at first, so don't use it if you are immediately getting into the car to drive.

How do Eye Drops for Rosacea Differ?

Now, eye drops for rosacea are just that, eye drops. They're a liquid drop you put into your eye to relieve the itching and scratchiness caused by ocular rosacea, dry eye, and blepharitis. My eye doctor recommends Systane Balance. I bounce between that and Systane Ultra, depending on what's available in my area stores. Balance is a little harder to get hold of.

You do need to use lubricating eye drops several times per day. I work on computers all day, so I tend to apply them every three hours. At night, I'll switch to the gel since I plan to sleep anyway. With the drops, rinsing my eyelids twice a day, and keeping up with daily fish oil and flax seed oil pills, I find that the itching is pretty well managed. I do have bad days, but it's certainly better than it was.