Yes, mites can cause blepharitis. Blepharitis is inflammation of your eyelids, which can then result in swelling, redness, itchiness and irritation of the eyes. If someone has poor eyelid hygiene, this can block the oil glands on the eyelid margin resulting in an inflammatory response causing blepharitis and dry eyes. Demodex is a mite that can be found on the eyelids and lashes. These mites eat dead skin cells, lay eggs and expel waste products in your eyelid glands and eyelash follicles. A small amount of mites naturally can be found on our skin to remove dead skin cells, and typically do not cause any harm or symptoms. But if you don’t have proper lid hygiene these mites can reproduce in large numbers, and can block the oil glands at the bases of the eyelashes causing blepharitis.