i-Lid Cleanser from NovaBay Pharmaceuticals brings relief to blepharitis sufferer in Maryland
San Rafael, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 31, 2014 / The Eye Institute, located in Marin County, California, today described another success story in the treatment of blepharitis, a common eye condition suffered by an estimated 23 million Americans.
Blepharitis typically is a chronic condition where Staph bacteria grow on eyelids, causing swelling, redness, inflammation, irritation, a crusty build-up. The material that appears on the eyelids can also block the meibomian glands that help lubricate the eye, leading to meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye syndrome. It can be very uncomfortable.
Lisa Hurka Covington, a suicide prevention advocate from Rodgers Forge in Baltimore County, Maryland, had never heard of blepharitis until it suddenly struck. She had been suffering from a prolonged, serious infection from an intestinal microbe called C. difficile after taking antibiotics to combat an infection after a root canal. During her fight against the C. difficile infection, "my eyes started acting up," she recalls. "They were red and inflamed. It was horrible."
An experimental treatment finally tamed the C. difficile bacteria. But Hurka Covington's eye problems persisted. A frequent public speaker, she had to wear sunglasses to hide her inflamed eyes. She couldn't wear make-up.
She went to her regular doctor, who diagnosed her with blepharitis. It was a surprise. "What's that - and what do I do about it?" she recalls asking.
The answers weren't good. Hurka Covington's doctor told her that it was something she probably just had to live with. She might have to forget about wearing make up again.
There were some things Hurka Covington could try, her doctor said, such as eye wipes, warm water, baby shampoo, or antibiotics. The wipes and the warm water didn't work, and "the baby shampoo made me worse," Hurka Covington says. Given her terrible experience contracting C. difficile (which prompted her to begin working with the C Diff Foundation), antibiotics were a last resort. "I don't want to take antibiotics unless I absolutely have to," she explains. Besides, she learned that antibiotics typically only bring temporary relief from blepharitis anyway.
Living with the blepharitis was "horrible," she says. She recalls being on a Maryland Governor's commission and having to take off her sunglasses to read. The other members of the commission were startled by her red, inflamed eyes. "It freaked me out," she says.
But a friend, who also had suffered from a bad case of blepharitis, gave her new hope. The friend's doctor, eye surgeon Sheri Rowen, had prescribed i-Lid Cleanser, a new product from NovaBay(R) Pharmaceuticals, Inc. i-Lid had finally brought him relief, the friend told Hurka Covington.
So she researched i-Lid Cleanser. She learned that it is the only product to contain Neutrox, the same active substance ingredient used by white blood cells as their first line of defense against microbial invaders. She also found that the product has been cleared by the FDA as a skin and wound cleanser, and that Neutrox has broad antimicrobial activity in solution. In fact, lab tests show Neutrox not only kills bacteria, it also neutralizes bacterial toxins that contribute to blepharitis and dry eye syndrome.
Hurka Covington got a prescription for i-Lid Cleanser from her doctor and began to clean her eyelids twice a day by gently wiping them with a cotton pad moistened with i-Lid Cleanser. Within days, the redness and the inflammation disappeared - and the flare-ups of blepharitis stopped. "i-Lid Cleanser is the answer to my prayers," she says. "Thank you NovaBay for this fantastic new product you have created for eye problems. I would love to see i-Lid Cleanser in the aisles of every store."
Hurka Covington's story is just one of many examples of people benefiting from this new product, says Kathryn Najafi-Tagol, MD, Founder and Medical Director of the Eye Institute. "Every additional success story builds the case that this innovative product is having a significant impact helping patients," Dr. Najafi-Tagol says.
Contact:
Kathyrn Najafi-Tagol, MD (Ophthalmologist)
The Eye Institute
415-444-0300
SOURCE: The Eye Institute