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. 2016 Jan;46(1):1-6.
doi: 10.4274/tjo.48902. Epub 2016 Jan 5.

Clinical Findings, Follow-up and Treatment Results in Patients with Ocular Rosacea

İlkay Kılıç Müftüoğlu  1 , Yonca Aydın Akova  2
Affiliations

Clinical Findings, Follow-up and Treatment Results in Patients with Ocular Rosacea

İlkay Kılıç Müftüoğlu et al. Turk J Ophthalmol. 2016 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: To report the clinical features, treatment options and complications in patients with ocular rosacea.

Materials and methods: The records of 48 eyes of 24 patients with ocular rosacea were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' ocular signs and symptoms were scored between 1 and 4 points according to disease severity; tear film break-up time (BUT) and Schirmer's test results were recorded before and after the treatment. Preservative-free artificial tears, topical antibiotic eye drops/ointments, short-term topical corticosteroids, topical 0.05% cyclosporine and oral doxycycline treatment were applied as a standard therapy to all patients. Additional treatments were given as needed. Complications were recorded.

Results: Twenty-four patients with a mean age of 48.5±35.4 (32-54) years were followed for a mean 15±9.4 (8-36) months. Ocular findings included meibomitis in 100% of cases, anterior blepharitis in 83% (40 eyes), punctate keratopathy in 67% (32 eyes), chalazia in 50% (24 eyes), corneal neovascularization in 50% (24 eyes) and subepithelial infiltrates in 16.6% (8 eyes). Significant improvement of symptoms and clinical findings were achieved in all patients with treatment. The increases in Schirmer's test and BUT were 3.3±1.5 and 4.5±2.8, respectively (p<0.05). Descemetocele and small corneal perforation occurred in 2 eyes; re-epithelialization was achieved in both eyes with tissue adhesive application (1 eye) and additional amniotic membrane transplantation (1 eye). Four eyes of three patients showed significant regression of corneal neovascularization with topical bevacizumab therapy.

Conclusion: Ocular rosacea may present with a variety of ophthalmic signs. It is possible to control the ophthalmic disease with appropriate therapeutic modalities including topical corticosteroids, topical cyclosporine and systemic doxycycline.

Keywords: Ocular rosacea; complications; cyclosporine; treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflict of interest was declared by the authors. Financial Disclosure:The authors declared that this study received no financial support.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Anterior (A) and posterior (B) signs of blepharitis
Figure 2
Figure 2. Anterior segment photograph showing peripheral sterile corneal infiltrate
Figure 3
Figure 3. Anterior segment photographs showing corneal neovascularization (A) and peripheral corneal infiltrate (B)
Figure 4
Figure 4. Anterior segment photograph of an ocular rosacea patient with descemetocele
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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