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Lid hygiene with shampoo reduces Demodex count
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Lashes with cylindrical dandruff are pathognomonic for ocular Demodex infestation; lid hygiene with shampoo may reduce the population but will not eradicate the mites, according to a study.
Ying-Ying Gao and colleagues performed the study to determine the prevalence of Demodex mites in eyelashes with cylindrical dandruff. They use a modified sampling and counting method in 55 clinical cases: 20 with diffuse cylindrical dandruff, 12 with sporadic cylindrical dandruff, and 23 with clean lashes or greasy scales (of which eight had been undergoing lid hygiene for the past year and 15 had not).
Demodex was found in all patients in the first two groups and 22% in the third group; the difference was statistically significant. Mean counts of 4.1 and 2 per epilated lash with retained cylindrical dandruff in the first and second groups respectively were significantly higher than the counts on lashes without retained cylindrical dandruff in the first two groups or in either subgroup of the third group. After epilation, Demodex was still found in cylindrical dandruff fragments left on the lid skin.
The study is published in the September issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.