Topical Use of Olopatadine and Cyclosporine a in Treatment of Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis

Aim: To compare the efficacy and safety of Olopatadine hydrochloride (0.1%) with Cyclosporine A ophthalmic solution (0.05%) in treating the signs and symptoms of VKC. Material and Method: Twenty-five patients with VKC were included in a prospective study. One eye of each patient was treated with Olopatadine while the other eye was treated with Cyclosporine A. Subjective symptoms of the patients such as itching, tearing, foreign body sensation, and mucus discharge were recorded and scored. The objective signs, such as the presence of giant papillae on the tarsal conjunctiva, bulbar conjunctival hyperemia, keratitis, limbal hypertrophy, corneal vascularization, and conjunctival cicatrization, were scored. Results: There was no significant difference between the Olopatadine group and the Cyclosporine A group regarding subjective symptoms at the 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 18th month. There was a significant improvement in the subjective symptoms of both groups. No significant difference was seen between the groups with regard to objective signs. A significant improvement was observed in the Cyclosporine group in the late period of the study. Discussion: In long-term therapy of VKC, similar effects were seen regarding improvement in the subjective symptoms during the use of topical Olopatadine and Cyclosporine A. In terms of improvement regarding the objective signs, Cyclosporine A was seen to be more effective in the late period