METHODS: Prospective clinical study. Totally 283 patients(566 eyes)with Demodex blepharitis were selected and randomly divided into three groups. Group A(94 cases, 188 eyes)was treated with optimal pulse technology, group B(96 cases, 192 eyes)was treated with tea tree essential oil paste, and group C(93 cases, 186 eyes)was treated with optimal pulse technology combined with tea tree essential oil paste. After 6wk of treatment, the number of Demodex, subjective symptom score, clinical sign score, tear film rupture time and corneal fluorescein staining were analyzed.

RESULTS: There was no significant difference in Demodex count, symptom score, sign score, tear film rupture time and corneal fluorescein staining among the three groups before treatment(P>0.05). After treatment, the number of Demodex among the three groups were significantly reduced(P<0.05), and there were significant differences among group C, group A and group B(P<0.05). The scores of subjective symptoms and signs of the three groups were significantly improved after treatment(P<0.05), and the improvement of group C was more significant than that of group A and group B(P<0.05). After treatment, tear break-up time of the group B not significantly improved, tear break-up time that of group C was significantly longer than that of groups A and B(P<0.05); Fluorescent staining scores of three groups before and after treatment were significantly improved(P<0.05). The statistical results of group C were better than those of groups A and B, but there was no difference among the three groups. No obvious complications occurred in all patients.

CONCLUSION: The effect of optimal pulse technology combined with tea tree essential oil in the treatment of acariasis blepharitis is significant, which is significantly better than that of single optimal pulse technology therapy and single use of tea tree essential oil.