BACKGROUND: To examine the effectiveness of prolonged oral acyclovir treatment in patients with acute retinal necrosis (ARN). METHODS: Fifty-five ARN patients (62 eyes) who had been treated with short-term or long-term oral acyclovir were identified in this retrospective study: one group treated with prolonged oral acyclovir (≥14 weeks) and the other group treated with a shorter duration of oral acyclovir (<14 weeks). The authors examined whether the prolonged treatment reduced the involvement of the contralateral eye. They also evaluated prognostic factors for visual outcome. RESULTS: Prolonged oral acyclovir treatment reduced the involvement of the contralateral eye (p = .036). The visual outcome was influenced by the timing of treatment initiation after symptom onset (p = .030), the age of the patient (p = .027), the area of retinal disease (p = .026), and the retinal detachment (p = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged oral acyclovir treatment had a significant role in preventing the involvement of the contralateral eye.
BACKGROUND: To examine the effectiveness of prolonged oral acyclovir treatment in patients with acute retinal necrosis (ARN). METHODS: Fifty-five ARN patients (62 eyes) who had been treated with short-term or long-term oral acyclovir were identified in this retrospective study: one group treated with prolonged oral acyclovir (≥14 weeks) and the other group treated with a shorter duration of oral acyclovir (<14 weeks). The authors examined whether the prolonged treatment reduced the involvement of the contralateral eye. They also evaluated prognostic factors for visual outcome. RESULTS: Prolonged oral acyclovir treatment reduced the involvement of the contralateral eye (p = .036). The visual outcome was influenced by the timing of treatment initiation after symptom onset (p = .030), the age of the patient (p = .027), the area of retinal disease (p = .026), and the retinal detachment (p = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged oral acyclovir treatment had a significant role in preventing the involvement of the contralateral eye.
Authors: Waseem H Ansari; Francesco Pichi; Paula E Pecen; Careen Y Lowder; Sunil K Srivistava Journal: Int Ophthalmol Date: 2017-04-22 Impact factor: 2.031