Phthiriasis palpebrarum

Abstract

Phthiriasis palpebrarum of the eyelashes is not an uncommon condition when hygienic condition are inadequate. The lice occupy, chiefly, the roots of the eyelashes, to which they cling tenaciously, while the shafts of the cilia are covered with their brown nits. The patients with the symptom of pruritus of the eyelids and with clinical findings resembling exfoliation on the surface of lid skin and seborrhea accumulation on eyelashes must carefully be examined by slit lamp in order to avoid misdiagnosis. In the cases diagnosed as having lid eczema and seborrheic blepharitis, lice and nits might easily be overlooked and treatment might remain ineffective. Various treatment options are available from medical; mechanical removal of nits and lice, cryotherapy. In this short review we are describing in details about the organism, clinical features, mode of transmission, treatment about Phthiriasis palpebrarum.

Keywords

• eye lashes
• crab louse
• nits
• phthiriasis palpebrarum