Epidemiological study of 134 subjects with allergic conjunctivitis.

At times it is difficult to distinguish among the subtypes of chronic allergic conjunctivitis. A prospective study with 134 patients was carried out. Patients were diagnosed with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) or perennial allergic conjunctivitis (PAC). Demographic information was also collected including, age at symptom onset, sex, history of non-ocular allergy, and history of family allergy. Forty-six percent were diagnosed with VKC, 40% with AKC, 8% with PAC, and 6% were not specifically diagnosed. This distribution information as well as the demographic information collected demonstrates that there are patterns within each subgroup of chronic ocular allergy sufferers. These findings will be helpful in the diagnosing and proper classification of ocular allergic conditions.