A review of the use of olopatadine in allergic conjunctivitis.

Ocular allergies are very common and range in intensity from mild, self-resolving, acute conditions to serious, chronic disease that can severely affect vision. The vast majority of sufferers experience relatively mild symptoms, which are often seasonal in nature. Treatments should be simple, comfortable and very safe. They should be able to respond to an ongoing attack but also provide long-term relief from symptoms. Mast cell degranulation is central to all forms of ocular allergic disease and so treatment has concentrated on preventing this process or antagonizing the effects of the primary mediator, histamine. Olopatadine is a relatively new selective H1 antagonist that has mast cell stabilizing properties and has been shown to affect release of TNFalpha and various cytokines from conjunctival epithelial cells. This paper reviews the local ocular use of olopatadine and discusses the place of the drug in the treatment of allergic eye disease.