Prevalence Of Demodex Blepharitis In Japan And Europe
Published 2025 - 43rd Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: PP20.07 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/n2ch-rh92
Authors: Gus Gazzard* 1 , Douglas J Rhee 2 , Anthony King 3 , Derek O'Boyle 4 , Sergey Muratov 5
1Moorfields Eye Hospital & Institute of Ophthalmology UCL & NIHR Biomedical Research Centre ,London,United Kingdom, 2University Hospitals Eye Institute ,Cleveland,United States, 3Nottingham University Hospital and University of Nottingham ,Nottingham,United Kingdom, 4Global HEOR,Alcon Vision LLC,Geneva,Switzerland, 5McMaster University,Hamilton,Canada
Purpose
Demodex blepharitis (DB) is an eyelid margin disease caused by the infestation of Demodex mites. DB affects 58% of adult patients visiting eye care clinics in the United States. The purpose of this study is to establish the global prevalence of DB, including data from Japan and European countries.
Setting
The presence of DB was identified by examining adult patients or reviewing patients’ slit-lamp examination records for the presence of collarettes, the pathognomonic sign of DB.
Methods
In Japan, an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study was run. Patients aged ≥20 years, with normal eyelid anatomy, and without active ocular infection or treatment for blepharitis were enrolled. The presence of DB (≥1 collarette in any eyelid) was recorded. Other key outcomes included collarette severity, lid margin erythema (LME) and patient-reported symptoms using visual analog scale (VAS, 0-100). In Europe, a retrospective, multinational, multicenter prevalence study of DB including up to 300 adult patients across up to 10 eye care clinics is being conducted.
Results
A total of 349 patients (mean age of 51 years, and 61% female) from 10 sites across Japan were enrolled. The prevalence of DB in Japan was 66.5%. The DB group had a significantly higher number of patients with LME grade ≥1 (43% vs. 12%, p<0.05) than the non-DB group. The majority (86%) of DB patients reported at least 1 symptom, and symptoms mostly worsened with increased collarette grade. The VAS scores for itching (25 vs. 18, p=0.01) and fluctuating vision (25 vs. 17, p=0.01) were significantly worse in DB patients than patients without DB. Results from patients in European countries are to be presented by the time of ESCRS.
Conclusions
The prevalence of Demodex blepharitis in Japan was higher than what was observed in the United States. Consistent with previous studies, most patients with Demodex blepharitis reported at least 1 symptom, and itching was the most commonly reported symptom.