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Published on: November 7, 2020
Unilateral Ciliary Madarosis in a Child After Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection
Nazan Acar Eser1, Kubra Serbest Ceylanoglu, Emine Malkoc Sen
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Health Science, Ulucanlar Eye Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
A rare case of eyelash loss (ciliary madarosis) occurred in a child 9 weeks after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. This condition, likely telogen effluvium, resolved spontaneously.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) primarily affected adults, with pediatric cases often presenting mild symptoms.
- Ophthalmologic manifestations of COVID-19 in children were uncommon, with most cases showing mild ocular surface signs.
Observation:
- A 7-year-old boy presented with unilateral ciliary madarosis (eyelash loss) on the left upper eyelid.
- The onset of madarosis was approximately 9 weeks post-COVID-19 infection.
- Ophthalmologic examination revealed no signs of conjunctivitis, eyelid inflammation, or meibomian gland dysfunction.
Findings:
- Extensive laboratory workup excluded other potential causes for ciliary madarosis.
- All laboratory parameters were within normal limits.
- The isolated, unilateral ciliary madarosis was attributed to telogen effluvium, a form of temporary hair shedding.
Implications:
- This case highlights a potential, albeit rare, delayed ophthalmologic sequela of COVID-19 in pediatric patients.
- Telogen effluvium should be considered in the differential diagnosis of ciliary madarosis following viral infections.
- Spontaneous resolution suggests a self-limiting nature of this specific COVID-19-associated ocular finding.
Abstract:
Coronavirus disease 2019 life-threatening signs have aroused a great deal of attention since the beginning of the pandemic. In the initial stages of the pandemic, the pediatric population was mostly protected, and the symptoms in affected children were mild. Here, the authors present a 7-year-old boy with left upper eyelid ciliary madarosis that developed 9 weeks after coronavirus disease 2019 infection. During comprehensive ophthalmologic examination, no conjunctival injection, chemosis, erythema, or crusts on the eyelids and no other meibomian gland disease findings were detected. Comprehensive laboratory workup was performed to exclude any other possible causes of ciliary madarosis. All laboratory parameters tested within normal limits. In addition to the patient's ocular surface and physical examination findings, laboratory results and the timing of the symptoms as well as spontaneous recovery at follow-up visits led the authors to conclude that telogen effluvium was to cause of the isolated, unilateral ciliary madarosis in this case.
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