Tacrolimus drops associated with improvement of refractory allergic ocular disease

Kochi, Japan-According to a study recently published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology from Kochi Medical School in Japan, “tacrolimus eye drops are highly effective in treating allergic conjunctivitis with proliferative lesions and/or corneal involvement, and may reduce or replace topical steroid use.” 

The study looked at 1,436 patients with refractory allergic conjunctivitis, whose condition had not responded well to conventional anti-allergic drugs, topical steroids, and/or topical cyclosporine. The patients received 0.1 percent tacrolimus eye drops twice a day during the study period.

The study found that the signs and symptoms decreased significantly after one month of treatment. Giant papillae and corneal lesions were also reduced by the tacrolimus eye drops. The drops were effective in patients who did not respond well to topical cyclosporine therapy, and about 50 percent of patients using topical steroids were weaned. 

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