Investigation of the Relationship Between Chronic Use of Topical Antiglaucomatous Drops and Ocular Demodex Infestation

Abstract

AIM : To investigate the relationship between chronic use of topical antiglaucomatous drop and ocular Demodex infestation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study included a total of 226 eyes, as both eyes of 55 patients with bilateral glaucoma and 58 control subjects. A total of 8 eyelashes, 2 each from the lower and upper eyelids of all the study participants, were taken and the samples were sent to the parasitology laboratory for analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 66.48±15.19 years in the glaucoma patients, and 64.76±10.89 years in the control group. From analysis of the eyelash samples taken, ocular Demodex was positive in 55% of patients with glaucoma, and negative in 45%. In the control group, Demodex was positive in 34% and negative in 66%. Demodex infestation positivity was determined to be statistically significantly higher in patients with glaucoma (p= 0.042). CONCLUSION: The rate of ocular Demodex infestation increases with age, and it is estimated that this rate is further increased by the use of chronic topical antiglaucomatous drops.