Which condition most commonly presents with madarosis?

• A. Seborrheic blepharitis
• B. Stye
• C. Conjunctivitis
• D. Trachoma

Answer: (A)

Madarosis, or loss of eyelashes, happens when the lid margin is chronically inflamed and lash follicles are damaged. Seborrheic blepharitis is a common lid-margin inflammatory condition with greasy scales and crusting that irritates and damages lash follicles over time. This persistent inflammation leads to destruction of the lash follicles and measurable lash loss along the lid edge, making it the most frequent cause of madarosis seen in practice.

Styes involve acute infection of a lash or gland and cause a localized, painful lump rather than widespread lash loss. Conjunctivitis mainly affects the conjunctiva and doesn’t typically produce lash loss. Trachoma can cause madarosis via scarring and inward turning of lashes (trichiasis), but it is less common globally and usually presents with additional lid deformities and conjunctival scarring. So the pattern most often tying lash loss to a lid-margin disease is chronic seborrheic blepharitis.