What is the Difference Between Squamous and Ulcerative Blepharitis

The key difference between squamous and ulcerative blepharitis is that squamous blepharitis is a type of non-ulcerative blepharitis caused by seasonal allergies or other allergic reactions, while ulcerative blepharitis is a type of blepharitis that results in ulceration due to bacterial infections.

Blepharitis is the inflammation of the eyelids that often results in flakes and itching. Squamous and ulcerative blepharitis are two different types of blepharitis. Squamous blepharitis causes white or gray flakes of skin, while ulcerative blepharitis is characterized by the formation of small open sores.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Squamous Blepharitis
3. What is Ulcerative Blepharitis
4. Similarities – Squamous and Ulcerative Blepharitis
5. Squamous vs Ulcerative Blepharitis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Squamous vs Ulcerative Blepharitis

What is Squamous Blepharitis?

Squamous blepharitis is a type of blepharitis caused due to seasonal allergies or other allergic reactions. It can lead to swollen eyelids, together with patches of white or gray scaly skin. This condition does not cause open sores but can lead to the formation of scaly patches of skin. That is why this condition is referred to as squamous blepharitis. The signs and symptoms of squamous blepharitis may include eyelid inflammation, eyelid irritation, redness of the eyelid, white or gray flakes of skin, eyelids sticking together when waking up, flakes or crusts around the eyelashes, gritty feeling in the eye, itchy eyes, and burning eyes. Moreover, squamous blepharitis is caused by seasonal allergies due to the immune system’s overreaction to pollen from weeds, trees, and grass, or other irritants in the air that may trigger blepharitis. These irritants may include cigarette smoke, perfume, pet dander, dust mites, and mould spores.

Squamous blepharitis can be diagnosed through a complete eye examination and allergy test. Furthermore, treatments for squamous blepharitis include applying a warm compress to the eyes, soaking a cotton pad in diluted baby shampoo and using it to wipe away debris from eyelids, prescription steroid eye drops, over-the-counter eye drops, managing underlying causes like rosacea or dandruff, and antibiotic eye drops if an infection is suspected.

What is Ulcerative Blepharitis?

Ulcerative blepharitis is caused by a Staphylococcus infection and is characterized by small sores that ooze and bleed. This makes hard crusts form around the eyelashes. These hard crusts often become matted during sleep. Ultimately, this makes it difficult to open the eyes in the morning. Moreover, ulcerative blepharitis can also cause eyelash scars and loss or misdirection of the eyelashes. Ulcerative blepharitis normally begins in childhood.

Ulcerative blepharitis can be diagnosed through slit lamp examination and blood tests. Furthermore, treatment options for ulcerative blepharitis may include antibiotic ointments (bacitracin, polymyxin B, erythromycin, or gentamicin) for a 7 to 10 days period.

What are the Similarities Between Squamous and Ulcerative Blepharitis?

• Squamous and ulcerative blepharitis are two different types of blepharitis.
• Both types cause eye inflammation and irritation.
• They can be diagnosed through physical examination.
• Both are not life-threatening conditions.
• They can be normally treated through eye drops and ointments.

What is the Difference Between Squamous and Ulcerative Blepharitis?

Squamous blepharitis is a type of non-ulcerative blepharitis that is caused by seasonal allergies or other allergic reactions, while ulcerative blepharitis is a type of blepharitis that causes ulceration as a result of bacterial infections. Thus, this is the key difference between squamous and ulcerative blepharitis. Furthermore, squamous blepharitis does not cause open sores, while ulcerative blepharitis causes small sores that ooze and bleed.

The below infographic presents the differences between squamous and ulcerative blepharitis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Squamous vs Ulcerative Blepharitis

Squamous and ulcerative blepharitis are two different types of blepharitis. Both these conditions can lead to eye inflammation and irritation. However, they are not life-threatening medical conditions. Squamous blepharitis is a type of non-ulcerative blepharitis, and it is caused by seasonal allergies or other allergic reactions. Ulcerative blepharitis is a type of blepharitis that causes ulceration due to bacterial infections. So, this summarizes the difference between squamous and ulcerative blepharitis.

Reference:

1. Yetman, Daniel. “Squamous Blepharitis: What to Know about This Type of Eyelid Disorder.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 7 Dec. 2022.
2. Troy Bedinghaus, OD. “Types of Eyelid Inflammation.” Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 10 Nov. 2022.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Blepharitis – folliculitis stage.” By Docjmrmd – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Infant with blepharitis on the right side” By Sage Ross – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia