Skin tests and cutaneous anergy in children with ocular allergy

To evaluate skin tests with clinical ocular allergy and to compare cutaneous hypersensitivity and seasonal allergic conjunctivitis in children.

A 10-year-old girl presented a typical seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, never treated and the onset occurred one year before. She was skin tested for the allergy. Complete blood tests were also performed. An ocular treatment was given: olopatadine over 45 days.

She showed a complete cutaneous anergy including histamine and codeine controls. Radioallergosorbent tests (RAST) found numerous great positivity to different allergens. Within 30 days under ocular treatment, she recovered completely from symptoms and clinical signs.

Clinical typical seasonal ocular allergy in children with cutaneous anergy should be explored further or at least treated. Cutaneous hypersensitivity should be evaluated more precisely with a larger study comparing results in general allergy and in ocular allergy where the anergy seems to be more frequent.