Intravenous pulse methylprednisolone therapy in severe inflammatory eye disease.

Seventeen patients with severe ocular inflammatory disease were treated with intermittent pulse doses of intravenous methylprednisolone. There were five patients with chronic posterior uveitis, five with retinal vasculitis, three with scleritis, two with chronic anterior uveitis, one with pars planitis, and one with Mooren's ulcer. A standard protocol of intravenous administration of methylprednisolone was followed. In 15 of 17 patients receiving this therapy, visual acuity improved or stayed constant. Side effects included psychological disturbances, hypertension, and elevated glucose levels, but cessation of treatment was not necessary in any patient. Pulse methylprednisolone treatment appears to be an effective therapy for several forms of severe inflammatory eye disease and minimizes the potential side effects of more conventional regimens of corticosteroid administration.