{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T18:11:25Z","timestamp":1770142285770,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,1]],"date-time":"2022-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1659312000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100014175","name":"Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100014175","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100013070","name":"Longhua Hospital Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100013070","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Significance<\/jats:title><jats:p><jats:italic>Phthiriasis palpebrarum<\/jats:italic> is an uncommon infection due to <jats:italic>Phthirus pubis<\/jats:italic> inoculating the eyelashes and surrounding tissues of the eye. Because of its rarity, it may be misdiagnosed as blepharitis or conjunctivitis clinically.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>This report described a rare case of corneal epithelial injury associated with <jats:italic>Phthiriasis palpebrarum<\/jats:italic>.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Case report<\/jats:title><jats:p>A 59-year-old woman presented with 1 month history of repeated episodes of itching and irritation symptoms in both eyes. A slit-lamp examination was performed, which revealed mild conjunctival hyperemia and corneal epithelial defects in both eyes. On closer examination, crab-like lice, nits, and red pinpoint excretions were seen on her eyelashes and eyelids bilaterally. Corneal fluorescein staining in both eyes was observed, and tear film break-up time (BUT) in each eye was 2 s. Numerous lice were also found attached to the scalp hair. Therefore, a clinical diagnosis of corneal epithelial injury associated with <jats:italic>Pthiriasis palpebrarum<\/jats:italic> was made. For treatment, eyelashes with nits and\/or lice were removed mechanically with a fine tweezers. Then, 0.01% Hypochlorous Acid eye wash was used to clean the eyelid margin twice daily. Also, she was prescribed a combination of Vitamin A Palmitate eye gel three times a day and Tobradex<jats:sup>\u00ae<\/jats:sup> eye ointment once daily. Meanwhile, the patient was provided with suggestions on how to improve personal hygiene and environmental hygiene, including cutting of the scalp hair and the application of 0.01% permethrin rinse. One week later, no evidence of lice and nits of the eyelashes and scalp hair was found, and the patient's symptoms and signs also improved significantly.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>This rare case suggested that the eyelashes of patients presenting with itching and irritation symptoms should be carefully examined with a slit-lamp. Besides removal of the parasites, attention should be paid to the treatment of corneal epithelial injury associated with <jats:italic>Pthiriasis palpebrarum<\/jats:italic>.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2022.955052","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,1]],"date-time":"2022-08-01T05:17:30Z","timestamp":1659331050000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Case report: A case of corneal epithelial injury associated with Pthiriasis palpebrarum"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Da-Hu","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xin-Quan","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"198","DOI":"10.23736\/S0392-0488.19.06350-8","article-title":"Pthiriasis of the eyelashes","volume":"155","author":"Veraldi","year":"2020","journal-title":"G Ital Dermatol Venereol."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1181","DOI":"10.1111\/ced.14666","article-title":"A clinical review and history of pubic lice","volume":"46","author":"Patel","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin Exp Dermatol."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1525-1470.1984.tb00447.x","article-title":"Pediculosis and the pediatrician","volume":"2","author":"Rasmussen","year":"1984","journal-title":"Pediatr Dermatol."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"815","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfo.2013.03.018","article-title":"Phthiriasis palpebrarum: diagnosis and treatment","volume":"36","author":"Anane","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Fr Ophtalmol."},{"key":"B5","first-page":"101","article-title":"Four cases of pediculosis caused by Pthirus pubis Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Anoplura) from peninsular Malaysia","volume":"24","author":"Pakeer","year":"2007","journal-title":"Trop Biomed."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"356","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1525-1470.2003.20418.x","article-title":"Phthirus pubis infestation of the eyelashes and scalp hairs in a girl","volume":"20","author":"Ikeda","year":"2003","journal-title":"Pediatr Dermatol."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e79","DOI":"10.1111\/jdv.13738","article-title":"An outbreak of pubic louse infestation on the scalp hair of elderly women","volume":"31","author":"Eto","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"487","DOI":"10.3347\/kjp.2018.56.5.487","article-title":"Phthirus pubis Infestation of the scalp: a case report and review of the literature","volume":"56","author":"Veraldi","year":"2018","journal-title":"Korean J Parasitol."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"765","DOI":"10.1016\/S0181-5512(05)80990-8","article-title":"Phthiriasis pubis palpebrarum in children. 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