Acne rosacea with keratitis in childhood

We present three cases of acne rosacea keratitis that developed in childhood. All three children were prepubescent and demonstrated characteristic dermatologic findings involving the nose, cheeks, and/or chin. The patients had complained of ocular irritation for at least 6 months, and in one case symptoms were reported by the family to have occurred intermittently since age 4 years. All three children showed evidence of meibomian gland inflammation; two patients demonstrated bilateral keratitis, the third had only unilateral involvement. In each case, oral tetracycline hydrochloride or doxycycline hyclate was necessary to relieve symptoms. Rosacea keratitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic keratoconjunctivitis during childhood.