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Ocular allergies: association with immune dermatitis
1Ocular Immunology Unit, University of Valladolid, Spain. calonge@ioba.med.uva.es
Purpose:
To describe the type of skin involvement that patients with ocular allergies are prone to suffer due to the atopic association of the condition.
Methods:
Review of the published literature and retrospective data from our patient series.
Results:
Patients with ocular allergies may have skin affected with one or several combinations of the following dermatologic problems: contact dermatitis, urticaria/angioedema, and atopic dermatitis, with secondary infections as a possible consequence of this later disorder. Other rare skin disorders have been occasionally reported in association with ocular atopy.
Conclusion:
Patients with ocular allergies may have a spectrum of 'allergic' skin problems, the most severe of which is atopic dermatitis. Ocular surface involvement in atopic dermatitis should be diagnosed as atopic keratoconjunctivitis, a sight-threatening disorder, until proven otherwise.