Oral acyclovir (Zovirax) in herpes simplex dendritic corneal ulceration.

Abstract

SUMMARY Sixty patients with simple dendritic corneal ulceration were randomly assigned to double blind treatment with either acyclovir tablets (400 mg) or acyclovir ophthalmic ointment administered five times daily. There was no significant difference in the proportions of patients healed in either treatment group (88.9% on oral acyclovir and 96.6% on acyclovir ointment). The median healing time was five days in both groups. No systemic or significant local side effects were noted in either treatment group. Trough levels of acyclovir in the tear fluid of those who received the oral preparation were within or above the range of mean in-vitro ID50 levels for herpes simplex virus type 1. We conclude that oral administration of acyclovir (400 mg, five times daily) may be an effective alternative to topical therapy in selected patients.

Ganciclovir Gel—A New Topical Treatment for Herpetic Keratitis

“…16 Topical acyclovir 3% ointment is more effective and better tolerated than idoxuridine, vidarabine, and trifluridine; [17][18][19] it is commonly used in Europe for the treatment of HSK. Although acyclovir can be prescribed in the US for oral and dermatological administration, no ophthalmic preparation is available.…”

Current Concepts in the Management of Herpes Simplex Anterior Segment Eye Disease

“…There was no statistically significant difference in the healing time in patients treated with oral or topical acyclovir [22]. Oral acyclovir is especially useful for treating infants and children with infectious epithelial keratitis because it is difficult to administer topical medications in this age group, and infants and children tend to express a severe immune reaction associated with their epithelial disease [23].…”

Comparison of Efficacy of Oral Valacyclovir and Topical Acyclovir in the Treatment of Herpes Simplex Keratitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…The difference was signifi cantly in favor of the VACV-treated group. Collum et al [1] reported that the total healing times were a mean of 5 and 5.6 days both in oral and topical ACV-treated patients with herpetic dendritic keratitis [4] . However, Porter et al [4] found signifi cantly longer healing times in patients with disciform keratitis treated with either oral or topical ACV (mean 25.9 and 25.3 days, respectively).…”

“…Oral ACV has widely been used in the treatment of herpes simplex keratitis and was reported to have a similar effi cacy to topical ACV ointment therapy [1,4] . Oral ACV has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of disciform herpetic keratitis [5] .…”