Oral steroid therapy as an adjuvant treatment for severe epidemic keratoconjunctivitis in patients younger than 3 years.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of oral steroids given to patients younger than 3 years with epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) accompanied by severe eyelid edema and inflammatory ptosis, in whom eye drops were not feasible.

METHODS

This study included 9 patients treated for EKC in local clinics whose condition failed to improve due to severe eyelid swelling together with difficulties in application of eye drops and pseudomembrane removal. We analyzed the extent of eyelid swelling, corneal damage, follicles, chemosis, and pseudomembrane formation in these patients before and after oral corticosteroid therapy in collaboration with the pediatrics department.

RESULTS

After a mean of 1.8 ± 0.7 days of oral steroid treatment, eyelid edema, corneal damage, conjunctival injection, follicles, and chemosis improved in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral steroids are an effective adjuvant treatment for EKC in patients younger than 3 years in whom eye drops could not be administered frequently due to severe eyelid edema.