Lid hygiene kit designed for management of lid margin diseases

Take-home:

The Cliradex Complete Advanced Lid Hygiene Kit is a new product that may help manage symptoms of lid margin diseases. The kit’s Cliradex Advance Care gel-whose main component is 4-Terpineol-has a miticidal effect and cleansing properties that can help improve ocular health.

By Nancy Groves; Reviewed by Preeya K. Gupta, MD

Durham, NC-A new lid hygiene kit for lid margin and ocular surface diseases helps manage the symptoms of conditions, such as blepharitis, demodex, meibomian gland dysfunction, rosacea, and dry eye diseases.

The comprehensive lid hygiene protocol (Cliradex Complete Advanced Lid Hygiene Kit, Bio-Tissue) includes a formulation gel with a stronger concentration of 4-Terpineol than the original Cliradex product, intended for application in the office by a doctor or trained technician. The gel is well tolerated and effective, said Preeya K. Gupta, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology, Duke Eye Center, Duke University, Durham, NC.

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She has been using the kit since it was released in early fall and has observed that in-office application of the gel and home use of the lid wipes helps reduce inflammation, crusting, and redness along patients’ eyelids.

“Demodex blepharitis is a common condition that is often overlooked,” Dr. Gupta said. “When left untreated it can create ocular surface inflammation, chronic eyelid crusting and redness, as well as ocular irritation.

“Demodex infestation can be hard to eradicate and has been linked to rosacea,” she said. “Tea tree oil has shown to be effective in a dose-dependent fashion; however, in high concentrations can be quite difficult to tolerate.

Like other Cliradex products, the gel isolates 4-Terpineol-the most active component in tea tree oil-to help manage the symptoms of moderate to severe lid margin disease. Other ingredients help with removal of lid margin debris and makeup.

Using the kit’s dual-sided applicator, the physician or technician brushes the gel into the patient’s lids and lashes to clean them. After treatment, the kit’s carton of lid wipes is sent home with the patient to be used once or twice a day as part of the ocular hygiene protocol.

“In the past, we’ve asked people to use tea tree oil shampoo to scrub the lashes, and most of them described intense stinging and discomfort, but this (Cliradex) has been a well tolerated treatment,” Dr. Gupta said.

One reason for this may be that the formulation of 4-Terpineol eliminates application of other tea tree oil components that may cause patient intolerance. Dr. Gupta explained that when patients use tea tree oil shampoo or mix their own with a combination tea tree oil and baby shampoo, the concentration of active ingredients can vary significantly with unpredictable results. 4-Terpineol has a greater miticidal effect than tea tree oil itself and has a lower risk of toxicity or allergic reactions when used as a topical formulation, according to Bio-Tissue.

Preeya K. Gupta, MD

E: preeya.gupta@duke.edu

Dr. Gupta is a consultant for Bio-Tissue.