Monday, January 9, 2012

Weirdest Medical Triviality Ever

I've had a few medical issues in the past couple of years, enough that I sometimes feel like a senior citizen tallying up all my various aches, pains, and limitations.
But recently I've added the strangest one ever.
A few weeks ago, I noticed my eyelids, right along the rim of the lashes, looked red.  Plus, they itched.  I wondered if I might have an allergic reaction to my mascara.  Or perhaps a strange rash.  Or even that my mascara had become contaminated with those little critters (some kind of mite) one reads about in horror stories of women sharing make up (although I don't share my mascara with anyone).
Then last week I was over-tired and upset about several things, and I cried.  Wow.  Stinging eyelids!!  They really hurt.
I decided I really must have some kind of rash and that I ought to get into an eye doctor about this.
Then last night, the eyes were itching like crazy, so, when I went to pull out my contacts for the night, I had a good look in the mirror.  Along the rims of my eyelids were little flakes of dead skin peeling off.
That's when it dawned on me what was wrong.  Red, itchy skin that stings plus flakes of it peeling off.  I have chapped eyelids.
No kidding.
Chapped eyelids.
Winter dryness has long played havoc with my fingers and heels, splitting them and making them bleed. And, in recent years, I've found chapped spots on my legs during the winter as well.
But eyelids?
I had no clue that eyelids could even get chapped.
Normally I don't put lotion on my eyelids during the day, only at night so that nothing gums up my contact lenses.  But I'm going to have to start using lotion during the day and risking blurry vision in order to tone down the chapping on the lids.
How's that for crazy?
Chapped eyelids.
Egad.  What next?

UPDATE: My post on the cure for these chapped eyelids is here.

5 comments:

  1. Chapped Eyelids? I'm sure there'll be a book about to get rid of them somewhere and it'll only cost you $35 plus sixteen follow up sessions with the (un)medically trained author at $100 a shot.

    Get well soon.

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  2. Thanks.
    I think I'll just stick with lotion for the time being. :)

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  3. Chapped Eyelids - that's a new one on me. Don't mention it to the drug companies, they'll come up with a cute name for it, like "Restless Leg Syndrome", create an expensive pill to "cure" it and then we'll see all kinds of advertising for it.
    Good luck, hope the lotion takes care of it.

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  4. thanks for your comment on my photo... btw did u know u can sunburn your eyeballs? yep, a friend got his sunburned...

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  5. Max, I'm sure you're right.
    Kalei, yes, I did know about sunburning the eyes, but this chapped thing is new to me.

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