Acne rosacea with keratitis in childhood
S. A. Erzurum, R. S. Feder and M. J. Greenwald
Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Ill.
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.
