Large Tick (Ixodes) Infestation of the Upper Eyelid Presenting as Eyelid Mass and Preseptal Cellulitis

Mahmoud O Jaroudi; Ahmad M Mansour; Riad Ma'luf; Alessandro Meduri; Ayman Tawil; Muhammad H Younis

doi:10.1159/000504431

Large Tick (Ixodes) Infestation of the Upper Eyelid Presenting as Eyelid Mass and Preseptal Cellulitis

Case Rep Ophthalmol. 2019 Nov 28;10(3):403-407. doi: 10.1159/000504431. eCollection 2019 Sep-Dec.

Authors

Mahmoud O Jaroudi¹, Ahmad M Mansour¹, Riad Ma'luf¹, Alessandro Meduri², Ayman Tawil³, Muhammad H Younis¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
² Department of Surgical Specialties, Ophthalmology Clinic, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
³ Department of Pathology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.

Abstract

A child was referred for removal of an eyelid mass. She had preseptal cellulitis and a large tick deeply embedded in the tarsus of the upper eyelid necessitating antibiotic therapy and en-bloc excision of the tick with the attached eyelid portion. Large ticks that are embedded in the eyelid are best treated surgically with en-bloc excision of the tick and its attached lid. On the contrary, for small ticks involving the very superficial skin, fine-tipped tweezers can be used to grasp the insect. Ticks are vectors of several diseases like Lyme borreliosis, hence prophylactic antibiotic treatment and close observation are recommended.

Keywords: Eyelid mass; Preseptal cellulitis; Tick.

Publication types

Case Reports