What is the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis during acute exacerbations?

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a recurrent ocular surface condition that can flare into acute exacerbations requiring prompt, targeted intervention. Selecting the right topical approach is central to controlling severe symptoms and signs and to reducing the burden of recurrent episodes.

Treatment approach

Management of acute VKC exacerbations involves topical anti-inflammatory therapy to address severe symptoms and signs. An additional topical agent may be incorporated — particularly one shown to reduce signs and symptoms and to allow for decreased reliance on the primary anti-inflammatory agent over time.

The complete regimen — including specific agents, sequencing, and dosing strategy — is available in the full protocol below.

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References

For acute exacerbations of vernal/atopic conjunctivitis, topical corticosteroids are usually necessary to control severe symptoms and signs.
Topical cyclosporine 2% has demonstrated a reduction in signs and symptoms compared with placebo after two weeks of use in patients with VKC.
Commercially available 0.05% topical cyclosporine has also been shown to be effective in more frequent dosing for the treatment of severe vernal/atopic conjunctivitis and it has been shown to be effective in preventing seasonal recurrences.
Use of cyclosporine may allow for reduced use of topical steroids.

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