Original articleCorneal Manifestations of Ocular Demodex Infestation
Section snippets
Methods
This study was conducted at the Ocular Surface Center, Miami, Florida, and was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Baptist Hospital of Miami/South Miami Hospital, Inc, Miami, Florida, to review retrospectively the medical records of six patients proven to have ocular demodicosis while also demonstrating abnormal corneal findings at presentation. All of them had either diffuse or sporadic cylindrical dandruff at presentation, defined as scales formed as distinct cuffs, collaring the
Results
These six patients included two women and four men, with an average age of 49.3 ± 17 years (standard deviation; range, 30 to 70 years). Demographic and other clinical features are summarized in the Table. All of them reported ocular surface irritation lasting several years. Their symptoms included redness (n = 5), blurred vision (n = 3), misdirected lashes (n = 2), vague ocular irritation (n = 1), ocular pain (n = 1), and recurrent chalazia (n = 1). Their symptoms persisted despite prior
Discussion
Demodex infestation in the facial skin has been implicated in causing rosacea1, 5, 6, 15, 16 and in the eyelid in giving rise to blepharitis.7, 8, 9, 10 Recently, we provided strong evidence supporting the notion that such blepharitis frequently is associated with mite-harboring cylindrical dandruff in eyelashes.12 Furthermore, we reported that 11 eyes with Demodex infestation in eyelashes also manifested trichiasis, meibomian gland dysfunction with lipid tear deficiency, and conjunctival
Scheffer C. G. Tseng, MD, PhD, after completing a residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1984 and a cornea fellowship at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary in 1986, Dr Tseng had become a chaired professor at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute until 2002, when he assumed the medical director of Ocular Surface Center and Ocular Surface Research & Education Foundation, and R&D Director of TissueTech, Inc. Dr Tseng has been devoted to bridging clinical and basic research in ocular surface diseases and
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Cited by (0)
Scheffer C. G. Tseng, MD, PhD, after completing a residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1984 and a cornea fellowship at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary in 1986, Dr Tseng had become a chaired professor at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute until 2002, when he assumed the medical director of Ocular Surface Center and Ocular Surface Research & Education Foundation, and R&D Director of TissueTech, Inc. Dr Tseng has been devoted to bridging clinical and basic research in ocular surface diseases and reconstruction.