Effect of prolonged oral acyclovir treatment in acute retinal necrosis.

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.