The RCT published in Ophthalmology (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30593775-a-randomized-controlled-trial-of-cyclosporine-a-cationic-emulsion-in-pediatric-vernal-keratoconjunctivitis-the-vektis-study/) showed significant quality of life and corneal fluoresceine staining score improvement in those patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis treated with Ciclosporine A cationic emulsion 4 times daily in comparison with CsA CE 2x daily or placebo.
Useful findings. Vernal and atopic keratoconjunctivitides comprase a major burden in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the usual steroid medications bring not only the temporary relief, but also complications (steroid cataract and steroid glaucoma, not a pleasant thing in the very young age of those patients…).
The results were not a surprise. However, the other major difficukty in those countries is the availability and the cost of such eye drops. Both ciclosporin and f.e. tacrolimus are very not easy to procure.
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