PRESENT STATUS OF EYELID PHOTOTHERAPY - CLINICAL EFFICACY AND TRANSMITTANCE OF ULTRAVIOLET AND VISIBLE RADIATION THROUGH HUMAN EYELIDS

Background: Phototherapy for the eyelid has not previously been recogn ized as a safe and effective treatment of photoresponsive dermatoses o f the eyelid, such as atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, psoriasis, lymphoma toid papulosis, and parapsoriasis. Objective: The purpose of this stud y was to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of this treatment. Method s: Two cases are presented to demonstrate clinical efficacy. In additi on, a retrospective eye evaluation of seven patients receiving a combi ned total of greater than 1300 eyelid phototherapy treatments was perf ormed. To determine whether potentially harmful UV radiation is signif icantly transmitted through eyelid skin, an in vitro study was conduct ed to measure the percentage transmittance of ultraviolet-visible radi ation through five excised eyelids. Results: In the two cases presente d, remarkable improvement occurred without adverse side effects, sugge sting that it is possible to deliver incremental UV dosages to eyelid skin to achieve clearing of skin disease. Retrospective analysis of pa tients' records revealed no ocular disease from the phototherapy. In v itro eyelid examination produced data that indicated negligible quanti ties of UV radiation were transmitted through eyelid skin compared wit h the visible spectrum, in which up to 77% of the radiation was transm itted through the tissue. Conclusion: The combined clinical experience and transmittance data suggest that eyelid phototherapy is a safe and effective treatment in selected patients.