COMPLICATIONS OCULAR ROSACEA

Rosacea is a common and benign chronic dermatological disease, the involvement of which

ocular is not uncommon. However, it is too often misunderstood, sometimes evolving in ways

insidious towards serious eyelid and corneoconjunctival complications. The purpose of our

study is to report cases of ocular rosacea that have been monitored in our training

all emphasizing the diagnostic elements and therapeutic difficulties.

This  a retrospective study of 37 patients (74 eyes ) suffering from ocular rosacea followed during our training.

The average age of our patients was 39.3 years (8-60 years), with a female predominance. The

main reason for consultation was non-specific signs of irritation conjunctival. Skin involvement was present in 90% of cases. The main clinical signs were: chronic blepharitis (100%), eyelid telangiectasias (37%), keratitis superficial punctate with altered BUT (>50%) of catarrhal infiltrates (15%) of ulcers

central (10%), limbal neovascularization (40%), aseptic keratolysis in a single case. The medical treatment consisted in all our patients of eyelid hygiene measures, lipid wetting agents combined with topical azythromycin. Oral cyclins have been used outside of their contraindications. The children were treated by macrolides. Local corticosteroid therapy was started immediately in 12 patients. The evolution was marked by clinical improvement in the majority of patients with stabilization of the lesions, without total disappearance.

Eye damage during rosacea is particularly common. However, she is too often unrecognized, which can develop insidiously towards sometimes irrecoverable complications. The treatment is based on several aspects: 1st line: health and diet advice is essential and must be recommended for life associated with lipid wetting agents, in 2nd line: oral treatment with cyclins. Topical cyclosporin appears to be an interesting treatment with a better safety profilebut it remains, at present, unavailable in Morocco.

Ocular rosacea is a common disease that remains underdiagnosed for two reasons: its nonspecific presentation and the lack of consultation about it which explains the morbidity important associated with it.