Do you have redness and feel of burns on the cheeks and enlarged capillaries? Is acne visible on your forehead and nose? These are the symptoms of rosacea, common and chronical disease that affects face but eyes as well.
Do you have frequent feeling of burning and tingling? Do you have redness and feel of burns on the cheeks and enlarged capillaries? Is acne visible on your forehead and nose? These are the symptoms of rosacea, common and chronical disease that affects face but eyes as well.
Causes of rosacea
Causes of rosacea are still unknown, but genetics and environmental conditions play a big role in its making. It’s talked more and more about blood vessels disorder as a cause of rosacea today. People who suffer from rosacea have a tendency to redness, i.e. blood vessels widening to series of stimulus. Often migraines in people with rosacea come in support of this theory.
Predisposition factors are not the same for everyone, but rosacea can be worsened by hot food and drinks, spicy food, heat sources, coldness, exposure to sun, alcohol consumption and use of face lotions containing alcohol. Sun plays a significant role because it weakens the blood vessels wall by damaging connective tissue, which contributes to blood vessels widening, and disease development.
Colonization of skin with mites and epidermal staphylococci are considered to be potential causes of rosacea. Eradication of bacteria living in stomach mucosa (Helicobacter pylori) makes some patients better.
Symptoms
People with rosacea have temporary or constant cheek redness accompanied by the feeling of burning and tingling, with the emergence of widened venules and can have pimples looking like acne. Rarely, and typical for man, it comes to overgrowth of connective tissue that manifests with characteristic tuberous, enlarged, gnarled nose called rhinophyma. Thus because of this face appeal people with rosacea can be stigmatized as alcoholics, which is completely wrong.
With changes of the skin on the face at around 50-60% cases, eyes are caught as well, meaning we have ocular rosacea. It manifests with the feeling of burning and foreign body, redness and dryness of eyes and eyelids. Inflammation can affect other structures of the eye and, if not recognized and treated, rarely can lead to serious complications, such as corneal transplantation. Luckily, it’s very rear.
Therapy
Eyelid hygiene is extremely important in rosacea treatment Warm wraps and eyelid edge massages are recommended. This helps to ease Meibomian gland secretion excretion. Meibomian gland is exocrine gland at the rim of the eyelid producing lipids that are important for good tear function. Use of diluted children shampoo or commercial compositions for eyelid cleanliness that remove debris clusters and reduce inflammation can help in annoyance ease. Artificial tears need to be dripped often. Corticosteroids are applied locally in periods of expressed eye disturbances. Systematic antibiotic therapy of tetracyclines gives good results in lower doses.
Rosacea, as well as the problems it causes for our eyes, is a chronicle disease with remission and deterioration fazes. This is the reason it takes multidisciplinary access of dermatologists and ophthalmologist, as well as good cooperation between doctor and patient.
Dr. Maša Mikuličić, spec. ophthalmologist
Causes of rosacea
Causes of rosacea are still unknown, but genetics and environmental conditions play a big role in its making. It’s talked more and more about blood vessels disorder as a cause of rosacea today. People who suffer from rosacea have a tendency to redness, i.e. blood vessels widening to series of stimulus. Often migraines in people with rosacea come in support of this theory.
Predisposition factors are not the same for everyone, but rosacea can be worsened by hot food and drinks, spicy food, heat sources, coldness, exposure to sun, alcohol consumption and use of face lotions containing alcohol. Sun plays a significant role because it weakens the blood vessels wall by damaging connective tissue, which contributes to blood vessels widening, and disease development.
Colonization of skin with mites and epidermal staphylococci are considered to be potential causes of rosacea. Eradication of bacteria living in stomach mucosa (Helicobacter pylori) makes some patients better.
Symptoms
People with rosacea have temporary or constant cheek redness accompanied by the feeling of burning and tingling, with the emergence of widened venules and can have pimples looking like acne. Rarely, and typical for man, it comes to overgrowth of connective tissue that manifests with characteristic tuberous, enlarged, gnarled nose called rhinophyma. Thus because of this face appeal people with rosacea can be stigmatized as alcoholics, which is completely wrong.
With changes of the skin on the face at around 50-60% cases, eyes are caught as well, meaning we have ocular rosacea. It manifests with the feeling of burning and foreign body, redness and dryness of eyes and eyelids. Inflammation can affect other structures of the eye and, if not recognized and treated, rarely can lead to serious complications, such as corneal transplantation. Luckily, it’s very rear.
Therapy
Eyelid hygiene is extremely important in rosacea treatment Warm wraps and eyelid edge massages are recommended. This helps to ease Meibomian gland secretion excretion. Meibomian gland is exocrine gland at the rim of the eyelid producing lipids that are important for good tear function. Use of diluted children shampoo or commercial compositions for eyelid cleanliness that remove debris clusters and reduce inflammation can help in annoyance ease. Artificial tears need to be dripped often. Corticosteroids are applied locally in periods of expressed eye disturbances. Systematic antibiotic therapy of tetracyclines gives good results in lower doses.
Rosacea, as well as the problems it causes for our eyes, is a chronicle disease with remission and deterioration fazes. This is the reason it takes multidisciplinary access of dermatologists and ophthalmologist, as well as good cooperation between doctor and patient.
Dr. Maša Mikuličić, spec. ophthalmologist