The role of cyclosporin eye drops in ocular inflammatory diseases

Fifty-nine patients were treated with cyclosporin A (CsA) eye drops for various diseases. Most patients with severe vernal keratoconjunctivitis responded well to the treatment. Treatment had little or no effect on anterior uveitis (acute and chronic) or on the fate of high-risk corneal grafts. The response of patients suffering from peripheral corneal melting, ocular pemphigoid or Stevens-Johnson syndrome was variable. Among these, some patients responded well to the treatment with CsA drops while others had no detectable clinical benefit. The large differences in the observed treatment responses may be interpreted to indicate that a different pathological mechanism may take place within a group of patients with similar diagnoses and clinical manifestations.