Presentation of two cases with periocular cutaneous leishmaniasis leading to ptosis

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by flagellate protozoa of the genus Leishmania. It is transmitted to humans via the bite of sandflies. The disease is a major health problem in our country as in many regions in the world. Although the disease is more often seen in children, it may affect any age group. The lesions usually occur on the exposed areas of the body such as face, neck, hands, arms and lower legs. However, they may be seen in other areas of the body such as scalp, trunk, eyelids and, penis. Eyelid involvement is not common, probably due to the movement of the lids preventing the female phlebotomine sandfly from biting the skin. In this paper, we present two cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis diagnosed on the basis of clinical and laboratory findings and we aim the draw attention to the fact that if not treated early, palpebral lesions can lead to dysfunction of palpebrae along with cosmetic problems.