Corneal Manifetation of Ocular Demodex Infetation Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To report the corneal manifetation in eye with Demodex infetation of the eyelid. Deign Noncomparative, interventional cae erie. Method Thi retropective review included ix patient with Demodex blephariti who alo exhibited corneal abnormalitie, which led to upicion of limbal tem cell deficiency in three cae. All patient received weekly lid crub with 50% tea tree oil and a daily lid crub with tea tree hampoo for a minimum of ix week. Improvement of ymptom and corneal and conjunctival ign were evaluated. Reult All ix patient exhibited ocular irritation and conjunctival inflammation, while meibomian gland dyfunction (n = 5), roacea (n = 4), and decreaed viion (n = 3) alo were noted depite prior treatment with oral tetracycline, topical teroid with antibiotic, and lid crub with baby hampoo. Thee patient were proven to have Demodex folliculorum (n = 6) and Demodex brevi (n = 3) by microcopic examination of epilated lahe. Their corneal manifetation included uperficial corneal vacularization (ix eye of five cae), marginal corneal infiltration (two eye of two cae), phlyctenule-like leion (one eye of one cae), uperficial corneal opacity (two eye of two cae), and nodular corneal car (two eye of two cae). After treatment, the Demodex count wa reduced from 6.8 ± 2.8 to 1 ± 0.9 (tandard deviation; P = .001). All patient howed dramatic reolution of ocular irritation, conjunctival inflammation, and all inflammatory, but not carred, corneal ign; three patient howed improved viion. Concluion A variety of corneal pathologic feature together with conjunctival inflammation, commonly noted in roacea, can be found in patient with Demodex infetation of the eyelid. When conventional treatment for roacea fail, one may conider lid crub with tea tree oil to eradicate mite a a new treatment.