Vernal Conjunctivitis is a chronic allergic disease. It is as its name implies- it mostly appears during springtime, but nonetheless, can appear all year round and disrupt the normal course of the life of the child and the family. The disease may keep recurring, and make the child's parents 'run around' a lot in search of a solution that will put an end to the disease. The disease primarily affects young children (boys) in the first decade of their lives, suffering from various sensitivities and allergies, such as asthma, eczema and more.
The symptoms of the disease are intense itching with discharges as well as being temporarily blinded by light. When the disease is extremely severe, the recurring episodes cause scars in the cornea of the eye, which can threaten vision.
What is the treatment for Vernal Conjuctivitis?
1. Lubrication
2. Anti-allergic drops (anti-histamine and Mast Cell Stabilizers)
3. Steroids
4. Innovative drugs/medicines.
Here is a detailed description of the above-mentioned treatments:
1. Lubrication (artificial drops) is given in order to calm the sensation of irritation in the eye. It is an attempt to bring about a dilution of the allergens. This treatment is given alone only in very mild cases.
2. Anti-allergic drops weaken the inflammatory response, block the histamine as well as stabilize the cells discharging harmful substances, in order to prevent additional discharges in the future.
3. Steroids - this is the most efficient medication. This medication causes substantial and quick relief among most children. However, using it for a long period is not recommended due to the risk of developing a cataract and causing an increase in intra-ocular pressure.
4. Innovative medications - nowadays there are several innovative medications through which the disease can be managed without much use of steroids.
One should remember that the above treatment only treats the symptoms of the disease and does not cure it. As with any other allergic disease, the phenomena can keep recurring. If I have some way of encouraging you, then as the child grows, the prevalence of the appearance of the episodes can diminish ,and these can even disappear.