El Demodex folliculorum is a mite that causes different conditions in the Eyelids, is installed in the tabs y causes blepharitis as well as other eye diseases. Although there are many cases in which its presence does not cause any health problem, in others it can trigger various pathologies. For this reason it is necessary to learn to identify its symptoms and the factors that favor its appearance.
En Área Oftalmológica Avanzada We explain everything you need to know about him Demodex folliculorum and its treatment.
What is Demodex folliculorum?
El Demodex folliculorum is a mite that some people have in eyelash follicles. In most cases it is harmless, but there are times when it causes diseases such as Blepharitis.
It is a mite that we humans have, and one of the most common. However, there is no reason to be alarmed, since only two species of this mite can become pathogenic.
May appear to all ages, although it is a lot more common in older people and, although the hot climates favor its appearance, it is also present in colder areas.
The main cause that causes its appearance is a lowering of defenses which hinders its elimination by the body's own physiological mechanisms.
Symptoms of Demodex
The main symptoms which the Demodex are the following:
- Blefaritis: It is a eyelid swelling, which usually affects both eyes along the edges of the eyelids.
- Dysfunction of the Meibomian glands: it is a permanent and habitual inflammation that appears in the edges of the eyelids.
- Dry Eye: consists of an insufficient amount of tears or a poor quality of them, which causes discomfort on the ocular surface. The most common is that it is bilateral.
- Conjunctivitis chronicle: is an inflammation of the conjunctiva (the transparent membrane that surrounds the white part of the surface of the eye) that does not go away.
Demodex Treatment
It's fundamental make a diagnosis of the Demodex mite as soon as possible, since otherwise it can worsen the patient's prognosis, causing the usual treatments to not be effective.
Demodex treatment consists of the application of creams prepared from tea tree leaves, in combination with a scraping of the edge of the eyelids (palperal free edge).
However, to achieve complete elimination of the parasite, this treatment must be complemented with a treatment based on pulsed light IPL. This combined therapy is performed in just a few minutes, without the need to go through the operating room, and the effectiveness of the results is very good.
Who can be affected by Demodex?
There are people in whom Demodex does not cause any reaction, and others in which it is pathogenic. This depends on several factors.
One of them is that the presence of this microorganism increases as people age. For this reason, they are infrequent during childhood and present in more than 90% of people over 70 years.
However, the main factor that causes pathologies related to Demodex is the amount of mite population present. The higher the number of mites per follicle, the more likely you are to have health problems.
On the other hand, Demodex is also more likely to be pathogenic in people with underlying dermatological diseases and others like HIV, immunodeficiency due to leukemia e renal insufficiency, Among others.
En Área Oftalmológica Avanzada have a amplias experience in the diagnosis and treatment of the mite Demodex folliculorum. If you need more information, contact us, we will be happy to help you!
