A 5-year-old girl had severe itching on her eyelids. Saline drops didn’t help. When she went to the hospital at midnight, the doctor discovered dozens of lice clinging to her eyelids.
On May 7, Doctor Le Viet Phap, Acting Head of the Department of Examination and Emergency, Saigon Can Tho Eye Hospital, said he had removed all lice and eggs from the patient’s eyelashes. The doctor instructs the family on how to take care of their eyes to avoid spreading and reinfection.
Family members said the baby had itchy eyes, often rubbed his eyes, and saw many objects stuck to his eyelashes. The itching gradually increased, the worried family took the baby to the hospital late at night on May 5, where he received emergency treatment that night.
Lice clinging to the girl’s eyelids. Photo: Provided by the hospital
Eyelash lice also have a scientific name Pthirus pubis, is a blood-sucking arthropod that parasitizes humans. Eyelash lice in children can be transmitted during direct contact with an infected person or indirectly through clothing and towels. Pthirus pubis usually lives in pubic hair but is also commonly found in other hairy areas such as the chest, armpits and eyelids. Symptoms of chronic irritation and itchy eyelids are due to the fact that when lice suck their saliva, it causes allergies. The feces and saliva of eyelash lice can cause conjunctivitis or keratitis.
According to the French doctor, some symptoms to pay attention to are intense tingling and itching that makes the patient unable to control the act of rubbing their eyes. Red rash in the eyelid area. Swollen, heavy eyelids, watery or crusty eyes when waking up in the morning.
Doctor Le Viet Phap examines the eyes of pediatric patients. Image: Hospital provided
Doctors recommend that parents should pay attention to treatment and make changes in living habits to protect their children’s health. Use some antibacterial shower gel and shampoo to help remove lice. Clothes, bedsheets, pillowcases and towels should be washed at 50 degrees Celsius for half an hour, then dried for 10 minutes.
Remove lice and eggs on the eyelids with tweezers and use some medications as prescribed by your doctor. It is necessary to treat the patient and family members for complete resolution and to avoid spread and reinfection. Go to a reputable ophthalmology facility when there are unusual signs such as scratches, pain, blurred vision or obstructed vision for timely examination and treatment.