A contemporary look at allergic conjunctivitis

Pascale Dupuis; C Lisa Prokopich; Alexander Hynes; Harold Kim

doi:10.1186/s13223-020-0403-9

A contemporary look at allergic conjunctivitis

Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2020 Jan 21:16:5. doi: 10.1186/s13223-020-0403-9. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Pascale Dupuis¹, C Lisa Prokopich², Alexander Hynes³, Harold Kim^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ 1Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, St. Joseph's Hospital, Western University, Room B3-102, 268 Grosvenor Street, London, ON N6A 4V2 Canada.
² 2School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, 200 Columbia St W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada.
³ Kitchener, Canada.
⁴ 4Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1 Canada.

Abstract

Allergic eye disease is common, yet often overlooked in North America. In the U.S., up to 40% of the population is deemed to be affected and this number is growing. Symptoms and signs of ocular allergy can lead to decreased productivity and negatively impact quality of life (QoL). Various treatment options exist to achieve symptom control. For allergic conjunctivitis, ophthalmic agents include antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers, dual-activity agents, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroids and some off-label treatments. Immunotherapy is recommended as a therapeutic option. This review provides a summary of the forms of ocular allergies, with a focus on symptoms and signs, impact on QoL, physical examination, diagnosis and therapeutic options of allergic conjunctivitis. Through multidisciplinary collaborations, a simplified algorithm for the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis is proposed for Canadian clinical practice.

Keywords: Allergic conjunctivitis; Allergic conjunctivitis diagnosis; Allergic conjunctivitis treatment algorithm; Allergic eye disease; Interprofessional management; Ocular allergy.

Publication types

Review