Recommendations for a screening series for allergic contact eyelid dermatitis

Background: Although allergic contact dermatitis of the eyelids is a common condition, limited information is available regarding the selection of patch-testing chemicals for proper evaluation. Objective: The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the relevance of allergens responsible for allergic eyelid dermatitis among a series of patch-tested patients attending our clinic at the University of Miami and compare these results to published studies in the literature. Methods: Data were retrospectively reviewed for eyelid-only dermatitis from clinically relevant patch-test evaluations performed between December 2004 and January 2007. Results: Formaldehyde was the most frequently encountered antigen, accounting for 45.83% (11/24) of the cases, followed by nickel 33.33% (8/24) and balsam of Peru (Myroxylon pereirae) 29.17% (7/24). In addition, not only did wefind a higher prevalence of certain allergens when compared with other studies, but we identified several relevant allergens not previously reported at other referral centers. Conclusions: The allergens found to be relevant in eyelid dermatitis vary among different regions. These data may help contribute to generating a standard screening tool to improve the detection and management of these cases.