Swollen and puffy eyelids in the morning and then get flaky, red and sore during the day...

I get the same thing every time I have a reasonable serving of gluten. Gluten seems to be the cause of my eczema flare ups, which I've had for 20 years. It only took me about 17 years to realize what actually triggers the flare ups. Since the eczema is on my eyes, topical steroids are out and I'm not a fan of the pills since I can't sleep while taking them, and either way steroids just relieve the symptoms not the problem. It took several cleanses to finally realize that the flare ups disappear every time I stopped the gluten. Once or twice a year I do an ayurrveda seasonal detox where I drink warm homemade rice milk and only fresh seasonal fruits and veggies for a week, limited to those suited for my body type, which helped me target what I was having a reaction to. Best of luck.

I have almost narrowed down the cause of this problem for me. I have had the red, swollen, itchy eyelid problem since February when I woke up with it on my birthday. I had been on prednisone since September for inflammatory arthritis. The week before this started, I had started taking Sulfa meds to replace the prednisone. I thought first it was a reaction to the Sulfa but the Rheumatologist assured me it wasn't. My primary care physician sent me to a Dermatologist and after trying steroid cream and Protopic which didn't work, I had patch tests done. I already knew I was allergic to nickel and cobalt from prior patch tests over 20 years ago, but found out I was also allergic to copper, chromium, and several other fragrance ingredients. My Derm doctor asked me if I have anything new in the house since February or if I started using any new products. After spending the last 3 months in agony and switching all cosmetics, detergents, hair products, etc. I was still having a terrible time with my skin above and below my eyes. The doctors kept blaming my makeup but I went without makeup for 8 days and it got worse every day......UNTIL I slept on the couch instead of my bed. The first morning , my eyes were 50% less swollen. By the 3rd day on the couch, they were back to normal. That was last week and they have stayed normal since....UNTIL last night when my son was sick so he needed the couch so I slept in my bed for a mere 4 hours and guess what? My eyelids are as red, swollen and itchy as the worst case I have ever had. I had gotten a new pillowtop bed with a metal headboard and footboard last October when I was taking 15mg of steroids a day and that masked the allergic reaction until February when I stopped the steroids. Unfortunately I can't just remove the headboard without removing the whole frame but that is the first step. I hope that is it but it could be something in the mattress itself (stain or water repellent?) or the mattress pad or sheets even. Or it could even be the products that my husband uses....although he insists I can not be allergic to him! All I know is there is something about my bed that is the cause of my problem. I hope this is the case for some of you too because I agree that this has totally decreased my quality of life. Before I discovered this, I was getting so desperate that I thought it was the anti-reflective coating on my glasses so I have an Oculoplastics appointment on Sept 11th for that. I read on the internet that AR coating is a vapor of metal oxides and with all of my metal allergies, it was worth checking into. I will update you after that appointment. I hope this helps some of you!

I am sitting here about in tears. I look like I have been punched in the face. Since Nov 2013. Antibiotic will clear it up but comes right back. I live in San Antonio Texas and yes my allergies have been off the chart this year, I wish somebody could do a survey to try to find some common ground among us that suffer. I have done everything also, makeup, diets, blah blah NO RELIEF. The doctors no nothing except for ya got dry eye! No crap! If anyone would like to compare notes or similarities in our environment please contact me.

I've been dealing with the red swollen puffy eyes for over a year now and a red rash ring around my neck. I'm going to go out and get some natural detergent. Sounds like that has helped others here. I am at my wits end. I've tried all kinds of medications, gone to several doctors that can't get to the bottom of the problems and spent toooo much money on them. I can hardly work with all the meds that make me sleepy. I fall asleep looking at my computer. I feel like I look so old and I'm not. I'm so depressed and I take meds for that too. What do I do??

Hi,

I've been dealing with the same issue going on 3 weeks now. I have been to 2 doctors its so bad, and neither of them have any idea what it is, or what is causing it. They gave me some eye cream and put me on prendison for 5 days. The steroid worked, up until Monday when I was finished it and now yesterday and today I have woken up with swollen, puffy itchy eyes. I have eliminated things from my diet, house, washed all my clothing and bedding in baby detergent, etc.....still no relief. I can barely wear makeup. Its gotten so bad through the days that I have even broken out in hives around my eyes. This came on sudden, out of nowhere. I have a wedding to attend tomorrow, and now I get to go looking like I have been in a bar fight! HELP!!

My eyes were like that last winter and a cream I got from amazon saved them. My eyes are back to normal now.
The cream is called Neosporin Eczema Essentials Daily Moisturizing Cream.