Blepharitis represents one of the more common lid disorders. Classification of this disease into 2 distinct entities has been well accepted.1 Seborrheic blepharitis, in which a budding yeast, Pityrosporum ovale, is frequently associated, is statistically the more common. In the second group the ulcerative type, Staphylococcus aureus, has been incriminated.2 Therapy, therefore, has been related to the diagnostic classification to which a given patient is assigned.
It is the purpose of this communication to reassess the relationship between lid flora and blepharitis and to compare the clinical and bacteriological results obtained from steroid, antibiotic, and keratolytic agents.
Materials and Methods
Patients were obtained from the private and clinic services of the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Thirty-seven consecutive patients with blepharitis were studied. In 30 of these, bacteriological studies were complete and follow-up adequately detailed to permit reporting. Two patients with more esoteric causes for blepharitis (fungal and