A case of a child with anterior blepharitis caused by Candida albicans: a case report

Abstract

Background: To date, there have been few detailed reports of the clinical findings in cases of fungal blepharitis. In this report, we present a rare case of anterior blepharitis in a Japanese child in whom Candida albicans was identified from secretions on the eyelash roots and present the clinical findings of the patient’s eyelid margin via photograph documentation. Case presentation: This study involved a 6-year-old Japanese boy with Treacher–Collins syndrome and severe ulcerative colitis who, during a follow-up visit at the Department of Pediatrics at Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan, suffered a cardiac arrest due to massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage, which led to persistent altered consciousness following resuscitation. Subsequently, the patient developed lagophthalmos, resulting in corneal ulcers caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which were successfully treated with a six-times-daily administration of 1% vancomycin ophthalmic ointment. Thereafter, the patient underwent a six-times-daily administration of ofloxacin ophthalmic ointment for the treatment of lagophthalmos keratitis. However, increased ocular discharge, upper eyelid edema, redness of the eyelash roots, and eyelash loss (madarosis) developed in his left eye, leading to a diagnosis of anterior blepharitis. Smear and culture tests of the eyelash root secretions revealed the presence of Candida albicans. The patient was then treated with a six-times-daily administered 1% pimaricin ophthalmic ointment, resulting in rapid resolution of the blepharitis and subsequent regrowth of the eyelashes. Conclusion: In this study, we report the clinical findings of a rare case of fungal anterior blepharitis in a Japanese child in which Candida albicans was identified. A noticeable white discharge at the base of the eyelashes and somewhat rapid eyelash loss were characteristic symptoms.