Immunomodulatory therapy for anterior segment ocular inflammation.
OBJECTIVE
To outline immunomodulatory therapy for ocular inflammatory diseases of the anterior segment and to review the current literature regarding their efficacy and safety.


RESULTS
Most current studies concern immunomodulatory treatment of patients who have chronic, debilitating disease resistant to corticosteroids. The authors evaluated the efficacy of treatment, the side effect profiles and the potential for long-term remission.


CONCLUSIONS
Immunomodulatory drugs are increasingly being used in ocular inflammatory disease to avoid the effects of chronic steroid therapy and to induce remission in patients with chronic disease. These therapies have shown efficacy in treating otherwise resistant disease with relative safety insofar as side effects are generally reversible and medications can be substituted if intolerable side effects arise. Future trends in treatment will emphasize more specific target molecules, less immunosuppressive drugs and modification of the immune environment to increase the rates of long-term remission.
Reed
Matthew D
MD
Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark 07103, USA.
Chu
David S
DS
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000869:Anterior Eye Segment; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones