|Articles|November 14, 2017

How to treat patients with delusional parasitosis

Delusional parasitosis or Ekbom’s syndrome is a patient’s mistaken belief that he is infested by parasites such as mites, lice, fleas, spiders, worms, bacteria, or other organisms. Scott Schachter, OD, discusses the challenges ODs face when working with these patients.

The views expressed here belong to the author. They do not necessarily represent the views of Optometry Times or UBM Medica.

Get more content from Dr. Schachter here

Want more insights like this? Subscribe to Optometry Times and get clinical pearls and practice tips delivered straight to your inbox.

Subscribe Now!

Latest CME

Multimedia

(COPE Track) Leveraging Rho Kinase Inhibition in Glaucoma Management — How Can Novel Treatment Pathways Impact Patient Outcomes?

Mitch Ibach, OD, FAAO; Jessica Steen, OD, FAAO

How to treat patients with delusional parasitosis

Newsletter

Related Content

The (nursery) rhyme and reason behind blinking

Takeaways from this week in optometry: October 20 - October 24

AAOpt 2025: A real-world assessment of dry eye relief in habitual drop users

AAOpt 2025: The lost art of corneal GP fitting for regular corneas

AAOpt 2025: This year and beyond in diabetes

Latest CME

(COPE Track) Leveraging Rho Kinase Inhibition in Glaucoma Management — How Can Novel Treatment Pathways Impact Patient Outcomes?

(CME Track) Revolutionizing nAMD and DME Management: Collaborative Strategies in the Age of Durable Treatments

(CME Track) The Neural Frontier: Mapping Neurostimulation Across the DED Patient Spectrum for Refractive Surgery

(COPE Track) Visionary Approaches: Rethinking Therapeutic and Interventional Glaucoma Management

(CME Track) Rapid Reviews in Retina™: Emerging Updates from Winter 2025 – Addressing the Wealth of New Data in Treatments for nAMD and DME

(COPE Track) Rapid Reviews in Retina™: Emerging Updates from Winter 2025 – Addressing the Wealth of New Data in Treatments for nAMD and DME

Living With X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa: What We Can Learn From a Patient’s Experience

Living With X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa: What We Can Learn From a Patient’s Experience

(CME Track) Collaborative Community Connections™: Mastering the Management of nAMD and DME Through Therapeutic Innovation

Navigating the Glaucoma Therapeutic and Surgical Landscape: From Conventional to Cutting-Edge

(CME Track) Neurotrophic Keratitis: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Enhance Patient Outcomes

(COPE Track) Neurotrophic Keratitis: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Enhance Patient Outcomes

(CME Track) The Neural Network: Exploring The Role of Neuromodulation in Dry Eye Disease Management

(COPE Track) The Neural Network: Exploring The Role of Neuromodulation in Dry Eye Disease Management

(CME Track) Toric IOLs Unleashed: From Technological Progress to Patient Success

(CME Track) Clinical Case Connections: Expert Insights on Applying Therapeutic Innovations in nAMD

(CME Track) Clinical Case Connections: Understanding the Impact of Advances in Treatment for DME and DR

(COPE Track) Clinical Case Connections: Understanding the Impact of Advances in Treatment for DME and DR

(COPE Track) Clinical Case Connections: Expert Insights on Applying Therapeutic Innovations in nAMD

(COPE Track) Toric IOLs Unleashed: From Technological Progress to Patient Success

(COPE Credit) Navigating Pharmacological Presbyopia Treatment for Enhanced Patient Care

(COPE Track) Small Mites, Big Impact: Revolutionizing Demodex Blepharitis Care

(CME Credit) Navigating Pharmacological Presbyopia Treatment for Enhanced Patient Care

Neurotrophic Keratitis Insights: An Interactive Corneal Sensitivity Testing Workshop

(CME Track) Small Mites, Big Impact: Revolutionizing Demodex Blepharitis Care

Interventional Dry Eye: A Stepwise Treatment & Management Approach

Rapid Reviews in Retina™: Emerging Updates from Spring 2025—Addressing the Wealth of New Data in Treatments for Neovascular Retinal Disease

(CME Track) A Forward Look at Anti-VEGF Therapies: A Paradigm Shift in Neovascular Retinal Disease Management

(CME Track) The Evolution of MacTel Management: Integrating Neuroprotective Therapies Into Clinical Practice

(CME Track) Rapid Reviews in Retina™: Emerging Updates from Summer 2025—Addressing the Wealth of New Data in Treatments for Neovascular Retinal Disease

(CME Track) Collaborating Across the Continuum™: Best Practices in Patient-Centric Team Management of XLRP

(CME Track) Community Collaborative Connections™: Optimizing the Collaborative Care of Neovascular Retinal Disease in a New Age of Treatment

Navigating Advances in Neovascular Retinal Disease: Translating Evidence to Practice in AMD, DME, and RVO

(COPE) Optimizing Management of Ocular Toxicity in Cancer Patients: The Role of Ophthalmologists in the Spectrum of Care

Community Practice Connections™: Transforming Treatment in nAMD, DME, and DR – Keeping an Eye on Optimal Outcomes

(CME) Optimizing Management of Ocular Toxicity in Cancer Patients: The Role of Ophthalmologists in the Spectrum of Care

Expert Perspectives on Technological Advances in Cataract Surgery

Expanding Treatment Options for Demodex Blepharitis: Patient-Centric Approaches to Therapy

Expanding Treatment Options for Demodex Blepharitis: Patient-Centric Approaches to Therapy

Interventional Glaucoma Treatment: Evolving Paradigms for Addressing Unmet Needs

(CME Credit) Community Practice Connections™: Applying Advances in Neovascular Retinal Disease - Expanding Treatment Intervals & Enhancing Outcomes

Burst CME™ Part 3: Initiating Early Intervention in Patients With Glaucoma Who Fail Pharmacological Therapy

(CME Track) Burst CME™ Part 1: Insights Into Glaucoma and the Need for Early Intervention

Interventional Glaucoma Treatment: Evolving Paradigms for Addressing Unmet Needs

(COPE Credit) Community Practice Connections™: Applying Advances in Neovascular Retinal Disease - Expanding Treatment Intervals & Enhancing Outcomes

(CME Track) Neurotrophic Keratitis in Focus – From Early Recognition to Strategic Intervention

(COPE Track) Neurotrophic Keratitis in Focus – From Early Recognition to Strategic Intervention

(CME Track) Leveraging Rho Kinase Inhibition in Glaucoma Management — How Can Novel Treatment Pathways Impact Patient Outcomes?

Rapid Reviews in Retina™: Emerging Updates from Fall 2024 - Addressing the Wealth of New Data in Treatments for nAMD and DME

EnVision Summit

(CME Credit) Time Matters in GA: The Impact of Early Detection and Proactive Treatment Approaches

(CME Track) Expanding Horizons in Toric IOLs: Translating Technological Advances Into Improved Patient Outcomes

(CME Track) Patient-Centered Treatment Strategies in the Management of nAMD and DME

(CME Track) The TED Perspective: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Thyroid Eye Care

(CME Track) Visionary Approaches: Rethinking Therapeutic and Interventional Glaucoma Management

Practical Approaches to Modern Dry Eye Treatment and Management

(COPE Credit) Time Matters in GA: The Impact of Early Detection and Proactive Treatment Approaches

(COPE Track) Revolutionizing nAMD and DME Management: Collaborative Strategies in the Age of Durable Treatments

(COPE Track) The Neural Frontier: Mapping Neurostimulation Across the DED Patient Spectrum for Refractive Surgery

(COPE Track) Expanding Horizons in Toric IOLs: Translating Technological Advances Into Improved Patient Outcomes

(COPE Track) The TED Perspective: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Thyroid Eye Care

(COPE Track) Patient-Centered Treatment Strategies in the Management of nAMD and DME

20th Annual Controversies in Modern Eye Care

(CME Track) Clinical Consultations™: Framing a New Approach to Geographic Atrophy Management – Expert Insights into Recent Developments

(COPE Track) Clinical Consultations™: Framing a New Approach to Geographic Atrophy Management – Expert Insights into Recent Developments

(COPE Track) Collaborative Community Connections™: Mastering the Management of nAMD and DME Through Therapeutic Innovation

Collaborative Care Symposium

Trending on Optometry Times - Clinical News & Expert Optometrist Insights

The (nursery) rhyme and reason behind blinking