GAMZE UÇAN GÜNDÜZ, Hafize Gokben ULUTAS, Mehmet Emin ASLANCI

Ectoparasitic infestations of the eye: three cases with three different arthropods

Parasitic infestations of the external eye are uncommon and more often prevalent in tropical and developing countries. We present three cases with ocular infestation caused by three different arthropods admitted to the ophthalmology department of a tertiary health care centre during two months. The first case was infected with the larvae of Oestrus ovis, the second case with Phthiriasis palpebrarum, and the third case with a tick, Ixodes ricinus. All patients in this report were living in city center of Bursa, one of the most industrialized cities of Turkey. Ocular ectoparasitic infestations should be taken into consideration in differential diagnosis of conjunctivitis, blepharitis and eyelid mass, even if patients living in urban areas. Due to the rarity of ocular ectoparasitic infestations and overlapping symptoms with more commonly occuring ophthalmic conditions, a careful ophthalmic examination is required to avoid misdiagnosis and delay in treatment.

Keywords:

Ocular ectoparasitic diseases ophthalmomyiasis, phthiriasis palpebrarum, ocular tick infestation,

PDF

___

[1] Panadero-Fontan R, Otranto D. Arthropods affecting the human eye. Vet Parasitol 2015;208:84-93.
[2] Rathinam SR, Annamalai R, Biswas J. Intraocular parasitic infections. Ocul Immunol Inflamm 2011;19:327-36.
[3] Nimir AR, Saliem A, Ibrahim IA. Ophthalmic parasitosis: a review article. Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis 2012;2012:587402.
[4] Klotz SA, Penn CC, Negvesky GJ, Butrus SI. Fungal and parasitic infections of the eye. Clin Microbiol Rev 2000;13:662-85.
[5] Choudhary P, Rathore MK, Dwivedi P, Lakhtakia S, Chalisgaonkar C, Dwivedi A. Red eye: rule out ophthalmomyiasis too. Indian J Ophthalmol 2013;61:293-5.
[6] Sundu C, Dinc E, Kurtulus UC, Yildirim O. Common blepharitis related to phthiriasis palpebrarum: argon laser phototherapy. Turkiye Parazitol Derg 2015;39:252-4.
[7] Yoon KC, Park HY, Seo MS, Park YG. Mechanical treatment of phthiriasis palpebrarum. Korean J Ophthalmol 2003;17:71-3
[8] Keklikci U, Unlu K, Cakmak A, Akdeniz S, Akpolat N. Tick infestation of the eyelid: a case report in a child. Turk J Pediatr 2009;51:172-3.
[9] Rai R, Yoon MK, Stacy RC. Tick infestation of the eyelid with histopathologic characterization. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 2016;32:55-8.
[10] Park J, Suh E. Tick infestation of the eyelid and removal with forceps and punch biopsy. J Craniofac Surg 2016;27:2098-100.