[Follow-up study on patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis undergoing topical 0.1% tacrolimus treatment].

Abstract A retrospective study for evaluating the clinical course of patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) treated with topical tacrolimus ophthalmic suspension 0.1% (Tacrolimus). Subjects were 30 patients (24 men and 6 women) with VKC who were treated with a combined therapy of Tacrolimus and antiallergic ophthalmic solution, and could be followed up for six months. The subjects were divided into two groups: 1. A conversion treatment group in which Tacrolimus was substituted for a steroid ophthalmic solution [21 patients; average age 14.7 +/- 9.44 years (mean +/- SD)] and 2. An additional treatment group receiving Tacrolimus and anti-allergic ophthalmic solution [9 patients; average age 28.2 +/- 7.31 years (mean +/- SD)]. The therapeutic effects of the patients were evaluated chronologically using the ocular clinical score according to the papillae-limbus-cornea grading score and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels in tears. Papillae-limbus-cornea grading scores were significantly decreased from 8 (median) points at instillation initiation to 5 points at the first month after initiation of Tacrolimus treatment (p