Topical steroid cream for eyelids and eye health: Does it work?

@niki10 Hello niki10, thank you for opening this discussion. Let me tag some other members who can possibly share their advice with you.

Hello everyone, how are you doing? Have you ever been prescribed steroid cream for your eczema? Have you ever applied it to the face or eye area? Do you think there is a serious risk of  side effects or damage caused by it? Can you recommend any alternatives?
@viccoker‍ @Jimjam2000‍ @Shaniiii‍ @snowy77‍‍ @amygray‍ @Dancingqueen84‍ @Rina19‍ @rachelmcmillan‍ @Ikrahussain998‍ @Suzanne71‍ @Jacquiellon‍ @LindseyS‍ @PeonyRoseAnnie‍ @Gemoxxogem‍ @Catcull‍ @Jojoseph‍ 

Feel free to share any thoughts or advice here!

Take care,
Courtney

Thanks Courtney 

I have since switched to Protopic for my eyelid eczema as hydrocortisone didn’t help. It’s my first time using it...has anyone else used it and what was it like? Should I be worried about the risks of skin cancer and lymphoma and also can I use sunblock in the area to protect my skin from sunlight? 

Experiences on both steroid creams around the eye and Protopic would be helpful. 

Thanks in advance! 

Hi Niki10. I've never had eczema in my life or even a spot on my face. Then in Feb this year I had bad eczema on my leg and managed to clear it up myself. However 2 weeks ago I suddenly had eczema coming out all over my elbows, leg, lower back and worst of all my face and around my eyes. My eyes were half closed with swollen eyelids and inthe end I actually saw a Doctor as my face had become infected and I was put on antibiotics and no cream.  He said I didn't need any? However my face was so tight that I could scream and so luckily I managed to get an appointment with a private Dermatologist.  He prescribed Bactroban for around my eyes, which like you I'm so nervous of putting around.  He wanted me to put it on 3 times a day for 21 days.  So far I've only put on once or twice and for around 4 days and already feel it's affecting my eyes as my vision is a little blurry. He also prescribed steriods for my face, which again I hate putting on but as it was so bad just felt I had to.  It's certainly helped all the puffiness and redness and on my face but I really don't want to carry on using much longer. I've been looking at reports online with using steroid cream and it says once you come off the withdrawal symptons revert the eczema back to how it was and its a never ending cycle.  Has yours cleared up now? I think some of it could be partly due to wearing masks as well.  It's just so horrible. Let me know what happens. I'm seeing my optician this week for his advice too.  Good luck

Hi Elizabeth

Thank you for your response, I feel so much better knowing that I’m not tie only one feeling this way. Right now as we speak I’ve just put cold cucumber on burn eyes to calm down the irritation. So I stopped using the Protopic last Wednesday and used it for 10 days as the doctor prescribed. By Saturday I could slowly feel the eczema coming back and I panicked and put on a bit of the E45 itch relief cream yesterday. Big mistake! As my eyes were so swollen this morning when I woke up. I find that it’s the worst getting up in the morning and then the puffiness goes down during the day. I really don’t know what to do at this point. My eyelids are not getting any better, I’ve tried anti histamine, low potency steroid and an immunosuppressant cream and none of these things have gotten rid of it. As soon as I stop using it comes back. I wonder whether it’s an allergen and that I should get tested to see what it could be? 

How did your appointment with your opticians go Elizabeth? Did they offer any helpful advice? 

Look forward to hearing from you! 

Hi Niki - thanks for your message and it was a relief for me to hear that others were suffering same as me. It's truly horrible and sometimes I feel really down with it all.  Mine has been trial and error, as I've spent lots on various creams that have been recommend on line. But many didn't suit my face.  Mine seems to be calming down little now, after nearly 3 weeks but still far from normal.  I'm very new to all this, as only had eczema for the first time this year in later life! I'm now on Emuaid, which seems to suit my skin but it's very expensive and from America so take long time to get. Not sure if I'll be able to carry on with that. 

Hope to hear from you soon. Best wishes Elizabeth