Affiliation:
1. Helmholtz National Medical Research Center of Eye Diseases
2. Saratov V.I. Razumovsky State Medical University
3. A.A. Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza
4. N.N. Semenov Research Center of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Abstract
Ophthalmic herpes is the most common infection-related cause of blindness in developing countries.Purpose: to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy, safety and tolerability of the drug Panavir® used as part of a combination therapy for herpetic superficial dendritic keratitis.Materials and methods. The study involved 106 patients aged 18 to 65 years divided into two groups. Group 1 (54 patients; 54 eyes) received treatment with Panavir® and Acyclovir ophthalmic ointment, whilst Group 2 (52 patients; 52 eyes) received a placebo of Panavir® and Acyclovir ophthalmic ointment. The primary parameter of the efficiency was the percentage of patients achieving clinical recovery, i.e. signs of complete epithelialization of the cornea.Results. In group 2 (monotherapy), a significantly greater number of patients with mild conjunctival hyperemia was registered than in the combination therapy group 1 — 59.26 vs. 23.08 %, p < 0.001. In group 1, the proportion of patients without corneal syndrome at visits 3 and 4 was, respectively, 11.11 and 61.11 %, while in group 2 it was only 3.85 and 19.61 %, respectively.Conclusion. The drug Panavir® eye drops 0.004 % showed a high therapeutic efficiency in the combined treatment of herpetic keratitis, and good tolerance. It also reduced the time required for corneal epithelialization and conjunctiva normalization.