A Practical Approach to Management of Allergic Eye Conditions in Children

The incidence of ocular allergy varies in different geographical regions and tends to be more common in countries with warm climates. In the US, as much as 40% of the general population suffered from allergic conjunctivitis.2-4 In one study of 5000 allergic children, 32% had ocular symptoms as the single manifestation of their allergies.5 A recently published prevalence study in Japan has found that out of 1079 patients with allergic ocular disease, the seasonal and perennial allergic conjunctivitis consist of over 90% of all cases, with a much higher mean age of over 50 years old and a less severe overall clinical score than the chronic types such as vernal and atopic keratoconjunctivitis.6 In USA, expenditure related to ocular prescription medication rose from US$6 million in early 1990s to >US$200 million in the new millennium, projecting an annual growth of 25% per year in USA.7