Ocular Manifestations of Patients with Cutaneous Rosacea with and without Demodex Infection

Abstract

Rosacea is a chronic progressive disease that causes inflammation on the skin and the ocular surface. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Demodex mites on clinical findings associated with rosacea. Sixty patients who were newly diagnosed with rosacea in the dermatology outpatient clinic underwent superficial skin biopsy to determine the density of Demodex species. The patients were evaluated as Demodex positive (n=30) or Demodex negative (n=30) based on the species density. The 60 patients were examined in the ophthalmology outpatient clinic; a total of 120 eyes underwent tear breakup time (TBUT) and Schirmer tests and were examined for meibomitis and blepharitis findings. The demographic characteristics and ocular findings of both groups were recorded and statistically compared. We found that Demodex mite–related inflammation in rosacea does not significantly affect clinical ocular surface findings and that Demodex positivity is significantly associated with papulopustular rosacea (PPR)(P=.003).