Ocular Manifestations of Atopic Dermatitis- An Observational Study in a Tertiary Care Centre in Western Odisha

Abstract

BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis (AD) also known as atopic eczema, is an allergic condition with hereditary predisposition. It mostly presents with intensely itchy skin, raised, splotchy lesions anywhere throughout the body. AD is most commonly seen in younger age group, the severity increases with increasing age. It is a chronic allergic condition, having both dermatologic as well as ocular manifestations. Ocular manifestations and its complications of AD are proven to be potentially morbid. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequencies, prevalence and pattern of ocular manifestations in patients with Atopic Dermatitis in our Tertiary eye care center in Western Odisha, so that early diagnosis and treatment of symptoms can be effectively done to prevent complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS A Hospital based observational study of Ocular manifestations in 80 cases of Atopic Dermatitis was done over 12 months. To study the frequency of ocular symptoms and its complications, a study group comprising of 49 males and 31 females were examined thoroughly. Associated ocular signs, anterior segment of eye and fundus were examined. RESULTS Atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) having the maximum contribution (38.8%) followed by severe blepharoconjunctivitis (20.3%) was found in our study. Lid involvement appeared as thickening, scaling and Dennie Morgan folds, while conjunctival changes were seen in form of severe follicular and moderate to severe papillary reactions with limbal thickening. Cobblestone appearance of papillae were typically found along with papillary hypertrophy. The ocular abnormalities were mostly found in the age group of 0-10 years with an average duration of suffering from AD of >1 year. The ocular manifestations in our case group were not significantly associated with visual impairment or any serious morbidity.

Ophthalmic manifestations of atopic dermatitis

“…This finding is particularly important because a significantly elevated level of this immunoglobulin can trigger graft rejection [18]. The authors of more recent studies state that despite the association between atopy and ocular manifestation in their patients, KC was not observed in patients with a low SCORAD index (Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis) score [19,27,28]. Therefore, it could be hypothesised that KC occurs in more advanced stages of atopy.…”