title: Functional visual acuity assessment of severe atopic keratoconjunctivitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate changes in functional visual acuity (FVA) measurements before and after treatment with 0.1% cyclosporine ophthalmic solution for 3 months in patients with severe atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Pairs of eyes were analyzed from 3 boys (mean age 9 ± 3.6 years) who complained of having severe AKC and were recruited for the study. Conventional Landolt visual acuity, FVA, and visual maintenance ratio (VMR) measurements were conducted before and after 3 months of 0.1% cyclosporine eye drop treatment. Tear film lipid layer interferometry, tear film break-up time, fluorescein and rose bengal vital stainings, and the Schirmer test were also performed before and after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eye drop treatment was associated not only with improvement of tear function and ocular surface status but also with better quality of visual function. The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution FVA and Landolt visual acuity values improved from 0.45 ± 0.26 and 0.13 ± 0.17 before treatment to 0.16 ± 0.03 and -0.06 ± 0.05 after treatment, respectively. Similarly, the mean VMR values were markedly improved from 0.88 ± 0.06 to 0.95 ± 0.03 after treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FVA and VMR are promising parameters in the assessment of dynamic visual acuity changes in AKC-affected patients and evaluation of treatment outcome.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; †Department of Ophthalmology, Tokyo Dental College, Ichikawa, Japan; and ‡Department of Ophthalmology, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Osama M A
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dogru
authors.forename: Minako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaido
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujishima
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsubota
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007368:Interferometry; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D013666:Tears / Q000737:chemistry; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008055:Lipids; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D016572:Cyclosporine