Case report: Head lice in the eyelashes

Head lice infection of the eyelashes and adjacent eyelids is extremely rare. In this case report we present a child with head lice infection of the eyelashes.

A 3-year-old boy presented to the ophthalmology department with a chief complaint of itching and visible abnormal secretions of the upper eyelashes in the right eye for more than 1 week. On ocular examination, a large number of nits and brown secretions were tightly adhered to the root of the upper eyelashes of the right eye, and translucent parasites crept slowly along the eyelashes, without impairment of vision. A few of the parasites and nits were further viewed with a microscope and were identified as head lice.

This case suggests that ophthalmologists should not only consider common inflammation and allergies, but also be alert to parasitic infections when treating patients with ocular itching and abnormal secretions.