Effective treatment with topical cyclosporine of a child with steroid-dependent interstitial keratitis

Purpose. To report a case of steroid-dependent idiopathic interstitial keratitis in a child successfully treated with topical cyclosporine 2% drops. Methods. Case report. Results. The authors describe a case of a 6-year-old boy with a history of recurrent idiopathic bilateral interstitial keratitis. The patient had recurrent episodes of corneal inflammation that became more frequent and severe during the follow-up, and caused severe corneal opacities and visual loss. Long-term treatment with topical corticosteroid was required to avoid corneal scarring that eventually caused secondary elevation of intraocular pressure. Topical cyclosporine 2% was therefore introduced as a steroid sparing agent to treat the keratitis. The treatment was continued for 1 year and the patient achieved a complete remission of corneal inflammation with resolution of corneal scarring and normalization of intraocular pressure. Conclusions. In this child with recurrent episodes of interstitial keratitis, topical cyclosporine 2% has been shown to be a safe and effective alternative for treating corneal inflammation.