Background: A chalazion is a common eye condition resulting from the accumulation of sebaceous secretions due to an obstructed meibomian gland which eventually will elicit the formation of a lipo-granulomatous reac tion. Recent attention is directed to vitamin A deficiency, being one of the contributing risk factors that have been studied, particularly in children. Vitamin A deficiency is common in certain geographical distributions due to the lack of access to vitamin A-rich nutrients, resulting in a wide range of related ocular morbidities.
Methodology: We aim to systemically review the available literature on the role of vitamin A deficiency in chalazion development. The search for relevant studies was carried out with the use of four databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane. After screening the search results, removing duplicates, and assessing the eligibility of the retrieved ones, a total of four studies were found to be eligible and hence, included in the review.
Results: One study that assessed the association of vitamin A and D with the risk of chalazion after collecting blood samples from cases and control groups has shown that vitamin A deficiency in the group of patients with chalazion (52.2%) was much higher than the control group (28.6%) with no significant difference in vitamin D levels between the two subjects. Similar results were concluded from the other studies as well.
Conclusion: To conclude, the available studies in the literature support the association of vitamin A with chalazion, although insufficient. Further studies are needed to support the available evidence.
Key words: Chalazion, chalazia, vitamin A deficiency, retinol deficiency, meibomian gland.
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