“Curse of the Celts”: Rosacea

Abstract

Objective: To report an interesting case of rosacea in a 16-year-old Filipino female.

Methods: This is a case report.

Results: A 16-year-old Filipino female consulted for recurrent bilateral eye and facial redness. Ocular findings included swollen lids, matting of the lashes, lid-margin erythema and crusting, blocked meibomian glands, diffuse papillary conjunctival reaction, extensive corneal scar with peripheral neovascularization involving the inferior two-thirds of the cornea in both eyes. Skin lesions included papules and pustules on the forehead, cheek, and chin, and bulbous characteristic of the nose. Incision biopsy on the left cheek revealed histopathologic findings consistent with rosacea. Treatment included doxycycline 100 mg BID, metronidazole 0.75% gel applied to the face twice daily, and tobramycin + dexamethasone lid scrub HS.

Conclusion: Increased awareness of cutaneous lesions associated with ocular findings leads to earlier diagnosis and treatment of rosacea and prevents permanent eye impairment.