Demodex infestation could be the cause of blepharitis and meibomian gland disease.
What is Demodex?
Demodex is an eight-legged mite from the Demodicidae family that feeds on skin and oil within the eyelid oil-producing glands. They cause inflammation, dryness, grittiness, and scaly skin around the eyelids.
Demodex mites need humans to live, they develop naturally on our skin until their death. The life cycle from the egg to the adult mite lasts between 14 and 18 days. The eggs are deposited in the sebaceous glands and hair follicles, turning into larvae until they reach adult form.
The mites prefer colonising in the upper eyelash follicles and when they lay eggs in the follicles this can cause them to stretch, leading to misdirected eyelashes. The deposits they leave on the eyelashes can leave them sticky or crusty, irritating the eyelids. These deposits also release toxins which can trigger an inflammatory response.
Those with rosacea and older people tend to have greater numbers of Demodex mites, making them more prone to blepharitis.
Symptoms
- Grittiness or a foreign body sensation
- Redness and itching of the eyelid
- Loss or misdirection of eyelashes
- Recurrent eye or eyelid infections
- Transparent or whitish flakes forming crusty debris over approximately 1mm of the base of the lashes and referred to as cylindrical dandruff.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of Demodex can be confirmed by the microscopic analysis of an eyelash sample during a consultation with an ophthalmologist.
Treatment
Following diagnosis, your ophthalmologist will recommend a daily cleansing routine using topical products containing tea tree oil to clean the eyelids and eyelashes.
In cases where treatment is not successful or for more severe forms of the condition, an oral antibiotic or IPL treatment may be prescribed and used in addition to the daily cleansing routine.
Treatment should be continued until the eggs hatch and the new mites can be targeted as initial treatment will only eradicate the Demodex mite but not their eggs.
What to do if you think you may have symptoms of a Demodex infestation
If you think you may have symptoms of a Demodex infestation it is recommended you book a consultation with an ophthalmologist.
MY Eye Clinic can provide expert consultant ophthalmologist assessment for the diagnosis and treatment of Demodex, Blepharitis, and Meibomian Gland Disease.
We offer BlephEx™ treatment of blepharitis and are the only medical facility in the North East offering OptiLight IPL for the treatment of dry eyes and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
