Ocular allergy represents one of the most common conditions encountered by allergists and ophthalmologists. Allergic conjunctivitis is often underdiagnosed and consequently undertreated. Basic and clinical research has provided a better understanding of the cells, mediators, and immunologic events, which occur in ocular allergy. New pharmacological agents have improved the efficacy and safety of ocular allergy treatment. An understanding of the immunologic mechanisms, clinical features, differential diagnosis, and treatment of ocular allergy may be useful to all specialists who deal with these patients. The purpose of this review is to systematically review literature underlining all the forms classified as ocular allergy: seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, perennial allergic conjunctivitis, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, atopic keratocongiuntivitis, contact allergy, and giant papillary conjunctivitis.

There is some evidence of an inverse association between atopy/allergic diseases and H. pylori infection, although further studied are needed.

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00808301.

Visual-evoked potentials (VEPs) were studied in 55 asymptomatic children with leukemia or solid tumors in remission in order to detect subclinical demyelination of the optic pathway after CNS prophylaxis. In group I (11 patients with ALL studied prospectively), VEP latency was increased in ten after cranial radiation (CR) as compared with previous values. Group II (18 patients with ALL in maintenance) and group III (16 patients with ALL off therapy) were studied retrospectively and VEP latency was found above normal limits in 33 and 31%, respectively. In group IV (four patients with solid tumors and six with leukemia, all of whom received no CR), VEP latency was normal despite periodical intrathecal methotrexate administrations to five of them. We conclude that CR determines a slowing of conduction on VEP test, probably due to demyelination of the optic pathway, in a high proportion of patients. The future clinical significance of these findings must be established throughout a prolonged follow-up period.

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