Some people may have more than one type of rosacea at a time. Other people can have any one type, including rhinophyma, without ever having had any of the others. In addition to skin problems, rosacea may lead to conditions involving the eyes in about 50 percent of those affected. Typical symptoms include redness, burning, tearing, and the sensation of a foreign body or sand in the eye. Infection of the eyelids may cause the lids to become inflamed and swollen.
Some patients complain of blurry vision.
Only in severe cases can a person s vision become impaired, however. Doctors do not know the exact cause of rosacea but believe that a combination of genetic predisposition and several types of environmental factors are related to its development. Some researchers believe that rosacea is primarily a disorder of the blood vessels, or vascular system, in which something causes blood vessels to swell, resulting in flushing and redness. A tiny organism called Demodex folliculorum , a mite that lives in facial hair follicles, may be involved. Some researchers believe that these mites clog the sebaceous gland openings, leading to inflammation.