Demodecosis of the eyes is a parasitic disease. Its causative agent is a tick, which belongs to the genus Demodex. In the people it is called acne zheleznitsa.
Pathogen Characterization
As a rule, the tick has a very small size. The length of the parasite does not exceed 0.5 mm. It is impossible to notice it with the naked eye. They parasitize in the glands and follicles. His food is dead cells. Normally, this mite is present in everyone in the body and until some time does not manifest itself. That is why demodex is a conditionally pathogenic pathogen. With a decrease in immunity or the occurrence of chronic diseases, the tick begins to develop rapidly and immediately causes one of several diseases. They can occur in the form of blepharitis, that is, demodicosis of the eyelids, or seborrhea. It should be noted that the vital products of this tick are a rather strong allergen.
Provocative Nuances
At the moment, there are some diseases that can provoke the transition of the tick form from the conditionally pathogenic to pathogenic. They are diabetes mellitus, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as malfunctions in the hormonal system, especially when it comes to adolescents. At the same time, it should be noted that ticks are quite active at high humidity and ambient temperature. Therefore, if a person is sick with demodicosis of the eyes, then he is forbidden to visit the sauna, bathhouse or be in a hot room.
Disease transmission methods
At the moment, there are quite a few sources through which you can get sick with demodicosis. These may be:
- poorly crafted bedding;
- contaminated cosmetics, as well as personal hygiene products that have not been disinfected;
- the tick is transmitted from pets and by contact with sick people.
Thus, it should be noted that eye demodicosis is a contagious disease, therefore isolation from society is necessary if a person is sick.
Symptomatology
As a rule, the first manifestation is inflammation of the eyelid. In this case, the mucous membrane suffers, which directly covers the eyeball itself. Such a disease will be called a little differently. We are talking about blepharoconjunctivitis. Symptoms of eye demodicosis in humans have a certain seasonality. They appear either in spring or in summer. There are also some other signs, and you need to pay attention to them.
The eyelid can be very itchy. At the same time, this symptomatology intensifies when a person removes makeup or applies a cream. The fact is that some tools are an excellent environment for the development of ticks. Also often there is swelling and redness. Often eyelashes fall out, peeling skin, barley and purulent crusts are formed. Sometimes there is lacrimation and dryness of the eye itself, and photophobia also develops.
When symptoms appear on the face and eyelids, it is absolutely impossible to ignore it. You should immediately consult a doctor. When the tick is at the peak of its activity, a special yellow secret is released from the eye. Gradually, small pustules appear near the bulb - vesicles that have purulent contents. They are opened, and in their place crusts of yellow color are formed. As a rule, they are noticeably most during awakening.
As mentioned above, the vital products of this tick are strong allergens. That is why a disease of this type is often manifested by a rash on the skin.
If a person is not treated, this disease can become chronic, and, accordingly, every year it will be repeated in a more serious form. Such a person can cause depression, as well as many other psychotic disorders, which will be characterized by poor mood and well-being.
Diagnostics
In order to prescribe a treatment for demodecosis in a person, it is necessary to conduct a diagnosis. As a rule, it is carried out quite easily and does not constitute any difficulties. Sometimes one examination is enough, in which the doctor fixes redness of the eyelids, the presence of purulent formations, as well as skin scales.
To confirm the diagnosis, you must use a microscope under which the pathogen will be visible. It is necessary to take several eyelashes from the patient, place them on a glass slide, fix with a special composition. It is prepared on the basis of water and glycerin. Next, cover it with a coverslip to examine the resulting substance in the right light. If the tick is fixed in the amount of two or more individuals, then the diagnosis will be confirmed. Accordingly, the treatment of eye demodicosis is then prescribed. Diagnosis under a microscope, as a rule, does not take much time and is often carried out directly during the patient's admission.
Treatment
It should be noted that the treatment of this disease is a rather complex and lengthy process - from one month to six. In order for the treatment to be as successful as possible, it is necessary to fully follow the doctor's instructions.
How to treat demodecosis in the eyes? Carrying out therapy, it is necessary to eliminate the infection. Next, you need to completely eliminate the effects of hormonal disorders and metabolic problems, normalize skin regeneration. Treatment should be comprehensive. Before therapy is prescribed, the patient must undergo laboratory tests. Then you need to pass scraping from the affected area. In order to cure the disease, the patient is prescribed the constant use of ointments and creams. It is also necessary to carry out all the activities that will be prescribed by the doctor. Therapy is aimed at eliminating the activity of the tick.
It is necessary to take immunomodulating drugs, as well as a complex of vitamins. Next, you should use drugs that maximize the functioning of the digestive tract. Be sure to take anthelmintic drugs for two weeks. Of course, it is necessary to pay attention to anti-allergic medicines. Well in the fight against demodicosis of the face and eyelids, sulfuric and ichthyol ointments cope. You should also pay attention to cosmetic masks, which are composed of yellow clay or laundry soap.
In order to accelerate recovery, as well as achieve maximum effect in the treatment of eye demodicosis, it is necessary to follow a diet. The patient should eat vegetables and fruits in large quantities, completely eliminate from the diet allergic foods, including harmful and heavy.
Diet for illness
As already mentioned above, it is necessary to adhere to a diet. It will allow you to get rid of ticks quite quickly, if you exclude products that expand blood vessels from the diet.
In the treatment of eye demodicosis (in the reviews it is noted that this is a rather difficult process), it is necessary to exclude the use of coffee and alcohol. You should also forget about the existence of spices and seasonings. It is not recommended to eat foods that contain a lot of salt and sugar. You need to completely abandon heavy meals. Spicy, smoked, fatty and fried foods fall into this category.
In addition, demodicosis is accompanied by allergic reactions - any products that most often cause them are prohibited. These are nuts, citrus fruits, cocoa, chocolate and so on.
It is important to eat regularly with demodicosis. It is advisable to eat about five times in small portions. It is better to prefer dairy products, while low-fat. This can be cottage cheese, kefir or ryazhenka, as well as bakery products. The latter should be made from wholemeal flour. In general, plant fiber is quite useful.
Hygiene Care
It is very important when answering the question of how to cure demodecosis of the eyes, and say about hygienic care. The fact is that before using medications, which we will talk about later, you need to very carefully clean your eyelashes from purulent crusts and skin flakes. This is pretty important. The fact is that if you do not do such a “cleaning”, then the drugs simply won’t work, and the products of tick activity can aggravate the situation and lead to even bigger problems.
Hygienic care must begin with the purchase of tar soap. It can be bought at any pharmacy kiosk. If this remedy too dry the skin, then you should pay attention to tincture of calendula. It can be used to clean the eyelids. “Blefaroloson” also proved to be good. This product is suitable for sensitive skin. It is prepared on the basis of green tea and chamomile. In addition, the composition also includes hemodesis, which removes various toxins from the body.
If we talk about the technique of cleaning the eyelid, then you must first wipe the upper eyelid, then the lower one. Movement is carried out from the outer edge of the eye to the inner - along the course of the tear fluid. In order not to blink during eye treatment, it is necessary to stretch the skin of the outer corner. In this case, you should definitely pay attention to the roots of the eyelashes. They also need to be thoroughly cleaned.
Preparations
In order to cure demodicosis of the eyelids and eyes, it is necessary to use some drugs. “Blefarogel”, “Demalan” and zinc-ichthyol ointment are great. Often, an eye gel called Metronidazole is also used. As a rule, either one or two percent is used.
The most popular is the first drug. The fact is that “Blefarogel” has sulfur in its composition. This tool perfectly fights ticks and most effectively cleans the ducts of the sebaceous glands. Moreover, this drug has hyaluronic acid, which accelerates the healing of tissues, improves the immune system at the local level.
If we talk about complex treatment, then antihistamines can also be used. This is “Diazolin” or “Lecrolin”. In order to prevent infection of the eyelids, antibacterial agents are prescribed. Such can be “Albucid”, “Tetracycline” and so on. We will talk about how to treat demodicosis with ointments and drops below.
Ointments
In order to cure demodecosis of the eye in humans with ointments, it is necessary to choose the right remedies.
The sulfuric drug works especially well. This ointment completely disinfects and destroys all existing parasites. This tool is effective and cheap. That is why it is quite popular. Of the minuses, it should be noted that this ointment stains things too much and has an unpleasant smell. The course lasts from a week to 12 days.
Ichthyol ointment also showed itself well. It disinfects and eliminates pain effects. It is necessary to process the skin 3 times a day.
Ointment "Yam" is an excellent drug that acts on parasites and fungus. This tool is used twice a day for no more than 14 days.
Permethrin ointment is also a good drug that has a local effect. The components penetrate the tick's body, immobilize it and destroy it. The face must be treated 3 times a day, however, hair should be avoided. The course lasts 2 weeks. Children under 3 years of age should not use this ointment.
Drops
With demodicosis, eye drops are an integral component of treatment. Parasites are on the edge of the eyelid, so the skin around the eyelashes should be treated with drops. It is necessary to apply a few drops on the fingers, massage the eyelids. Sometimes it happens that drugs are instilled in the conjunctival sac. However, this is true if the patient has dry eyelids or itching.
Drops “Fosfakol”, “Karbakhol” and others show themselves perfectly. These are the tools that must be used for processing, and not for instillation.
If a secondary infection appeared as a result of the development of demodicosis, then antibacterial drugs should be used. Here we are talking about chloramphenicol drops, etc. In order to relieve itching, doctors often prescribe Okumetil.
Massage
A very important component in the treatment of this disease is massage. Thanks to him, you can cleanse the eyelid from pus and dead cells. It is necessary to massage before applying the medicine for 5-10 minutes.
Cosmetics
Describing the symptoms of eye demodicosis and treatment, it should be noted that for the time being, one should completely abandon the use of cosmetics. The fact is that microscopic particles of mascara or any other similar means can clog the glands, which contributes to the further development of the disease. Moreover, cosmetics, even if they are upscale, can cause allergies.
In order to prevent, it is necessary to get rid of all the old cosmetics that a person used before the infection. The fact is that the tick can be on the substances themselves, which can lead to the re-development of this disease. As already understood, the symptoms and treatment of eye demodicosis are directly related to the use of cosmetics.