in many other patients, especially older ones, the cause is a population of tiny parasites, called demodex mites. The mites burrow into the lashes along the eyelid margin, munching happily on cells that line the lashes’ follicles. The waste material the mites produce builds up as debris on the eyelids and causes inflammation. The debris can also plug the eye’s meibomian glands, which produce the oil that keeps tears from evaporating quickly. Without the oil, patients suffer from dry eye.

Moreover, the mite infestation can also attract a species of bacteria, Bacillus oleronius, which also colonizes the eye-lids and contributes to the symptoms. And both the mites and the bacteria re-lease toxins that add to the inflamma-tion and discomfort.

Not surprisingly, my patients are horri-fied by the idea that little creatures are burrowing into their eyelids! They are anxious to rid themselves of the infes-tation—and to get relief from the often-painful symptoms.

For many years, we tackled the mite problem with various lid scrubs con-taining tea tree oil. The tea tree oil seems to prod the embedded demo-dex mites to migrate out of the skin. At high concentrations, it also kills the parasites.

Tea tree oil is not the perfect solution, however. In my practice, I’ve found that the concentrations of tea tree oil need-ed to control or eliminate the mites are

often irritating to patients’ eyes. I’ve been hoping for something better.

Now, something better has arrived. It’s a new product from NovaBay Phar-maceuticals called Avenova. The key ingredient in Avenova is a stable, pure formulation of hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a naturally occurring sub-stance produced by white blood cells to fight microbial invaders. NovaBay calls its formulation of pure HOCl, “Neu-trox™.”

Neutrox has potent antimicrobial prop-erties in solution. Laboratory studies show that it effectively and rapidly kills the nymph form of the demodex mites, as well as the Bacillus oleronius patho-gens and other bacteria, such as Staph-ylococcus aureus, that live on eyelids. The lab tests show that, in solution, Neutrox also neutralizes the inflamma-tory toxins released by both mites and bacteria.

I am one of the many people who live with blepharitis. Before I try anything new, I use it on myself first to see what patients would feel and experience. When I tried Avenova, spraying it onto a cotton pad and then using the pad to wipe my eyelids, I found that it was very comfortable—even refreshing.

The key question, though, is: does it work? In my practice the answer is an emphatic yes. After a week or two of twice-daily use, my patients report re-markable improvements. The redness, inflammation, pain, and debris are

Every day, optometrists and ophthal-mologists see thousands of patients whose eyes are red and inflamed, with a crusty build-up of debris on the lid margins. Their eyes are often painfully dry and it impacts on their daily qual-ity of life.

In my own practice, these conditions—called blepharitis and dry eye—are the most common reasons why my people come into the office. Many of those patients have had the conditions for months or years, with adverse effects on their daily lives. They have often seen several different eye care professionals and have not obtained relief. Some can no longer read or enjoy travel and hob-bies—and are desperate for a solution.

When I examine their eyelids, I look for the underlying cause. Sometimes bacteria are the primary culprits. But

Next Page

Millions of Americans suffer from chronic eye conditions caused by microorganisms living on their eyelids. But Avenova™, a new product from NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, safely kills

the mites and the toxins they produce, making a real difference in patients’ lives.

Fighting the Mites that Live on eyeLids

markedly reduced. And when I exam-ine them, their eyelids look clean and healthy.

A patient I have treated by the name of Marie has been under my care for several years. Prior to coming to my practice, she had seen several other optometrists and ophthalmologists for her chronic and, in her words, “debili-tating” blepharitis. I had tried many different therapeutic options with varying degrees of success and yet she remained symptomatic and unhappy. Her response to Avenova has been nothing short of spectacular, with a dramatic improvement in her lid dis-ease and a marked improvement in her quality of life. She now uses a comput-er and reads for long periods of time without irritation or discomfort and her cosmetic appearance has dramati-cally improved.

I’ve also learned that many other doc-tors are reporting similar successes, and the number of grateful patients is growing rapidly. In interviews, some say that Avenova has finally brought relief after years of pain.

As dedicated eye professionals, our hope is that we can make a real dif-ference in people’s daily lives, helping them see better and making them more comfortable. With Avenova, we can ac-complish that goal for many, many of our patients.

Eric Donnenfeld MD, F.A.A.O.Long Island LASIK(516) 742-2020www.lasikli.com

For more information aboutAvenova, visit www.avenova.com,or call 1 (800) 890-0329.

avenova.com