Partial involution of upper eyelid may be a cause of ocular irritation

HONOLULU — Involution of the lateral portion of the upper eyelid may account for complaints of ocular irritation by many Asian patients, according to a study.

Jorge Camara, MD, and colleagues here at St. Francis Medical Center performed a prospective case series of 53 Asian patients ranging in age from 41 to 88 complaining of ocular irritation and associated symptoms. At presentation, all patients had inturning of only the lateral portion of the upper eyelids.

On clinical evaluation, all patients showed lateral dermatochalasis, trichiasis and lateral canthal eyelid laxity. Forty-two percent of patients also exhibited localized lateral conjunctivitis, 11% exhibited punctate epithelial keratopathy, 11% exhibited blepharitis and 8% exhibited distichiasis.

Surgical intervention was required in 34 of the 53 patients. All patients who required surgery were asymptomatic following surgery.

The study is published in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.