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. 2022 Sep 2:16:2979-2987.
doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S374530. eCollection 2022.

Psychosocial Impact of Demodex Blepharitis

Leslie O'Dell  1 , Damon S Dierker  2 , Douglas K Devries  3 , Jaclyn Garlich  4 , Walter O Whitley  5 , Mark Holdbrook  6 , Stephanie N Baba  6 , Elizabeth Yeu  5
Affiliations

Psychosocial Impact of Demodex Blepharitis

Leslie O'Dell et al. Clin Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of Demodex blepharitis on patients' daily activities and quality of life.

Patients and methods: In this multicenter, observational, prospective, IRB-approved study, 311 Demodex blepharitis patients aged ≥18 years were included. Demodex blepharitis was diagnosed based on the presence of ≥1.0 mite per lash (upper and lower eyelids combined), >10 collarettes on the upper lashes, and at least mild lid margin erythema of the upper eyelid in at least one eye. All patients were asked to complete a questionnaire about their symptoms, daily activities, quality of life, and management approaches, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the responses.

Results: More than half the patients had been experiencing symptoms of blepharitis for ≥4 years. The three most frequent and bothersome symptoms experienced by patients were dry eyes, itchiness, and irritation. Nearly half the patients (47%) responded that they were conscious of their eyes all day, and 23% said that they were constantly worrying about their eyes. Other activities that were negatively affected included difficulty driving at night (47%), additional time needed for daily hygiene routine (30%), and difficulty in wearing eye make-up (in 34% of females). While all subjects had objective signs of Demodex blepharitis confirmed by an eye care provider, 58% said they had never previously been diagnosed with blepharitis. The most commonly used management approaches for Demodex blepharitis were artificial tears (47%), warm compresses (32%), and lid wipes (14%).

Conclusion: Demodex blepharitis has a significant negative impact on daily activities and the mental and physical well-being of afflicted patients.

Keywords: Demodex blepharitis; Demodex mites; collarettes; cylindrical dandruff; dry eye disease; lid margin disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

JG, EY and DKD have received consulting fees from Tarsus Pharmaceuticals. SNB and MH are employees of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals. DSD has received consulting and research fees from Tarsus Pharmaceuticals and honoraria from Azura. WOW reports personal fees from Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Alcon, Bruder, Baush and Lomb, Azura Pharmaceuticals, Kala Pharmaceuticals, Oyster Point, Regenereyes, Santen, Sight Sciences, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Thea Pharmaceuticals, outside the submitted work. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Time in years since the first diagnosis of Demodex Blepharitis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Most bothersome symptoms over the last month as ranked by patients.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The frequency of symptoms over the last month as reported by patients.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Impact of blepharitis on the quality of life.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Number of visits ever made to a doctor for Demodex blepharitis.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Management approaches currently being used for Demodex blepharitis as reported by patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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