Discussion on Demodex infection and blepharitis

As a possible pathogen of blepharitis, Demodex is gradually known by ophthalmologists.Demodex is one of the permanent small parasitic mites in human hair follicle and sebaceous glands, with high infective rate in human body.There are two kinds of Demodex that colonized in human eyelid: Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis.The life cycle of Demodex is about 14.5 days.There have been different views on Demodex as the cause of blepharitis.We performed a deep research on the pathogenic characteristics of Demodex and explored the relationship between blepharitis and Demodex.The clinical diagnose methods and diagnose criteria were also summarized to improve the clinical understanding of Demodex blepharitis, which provides a useful clue for the prevention and management of this disease. Key words: Eye infections, parasitic; Blepharitis; Demodex