Intraocular pressure response to corticosteroids in children

SUMMARY A total of 44 children who suffered from vernal conjunctivitis were treated with topical dexamethasone 0-1 % 4 times daily for 6 weeks and tested for their intraocular pressure. There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0 01) between the responders in our group of children and a group of normal adults reported on by Armaly in 1965. Topically administered corticosteroids are widely used in treating a large range of inflammatory and allergic eye conditions. But their use has been partially limited after Armaly ' reported the increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) produced by locally instilled corticosteroids. The 'corticosteroid res-ponse ' was found by Armalyl after subjecting a sample of normal population to topical corticos-teroid instillation and monitoring the increase in their IOP. According to the increase in the IOP, 3 categories of response are distinguished in the normal adult population: low (6622%), intermediate (28o8%), and high (5%). Furthermore, Armaly2 found that the steroid response is hereditary. To the best of our knowledge there are no pub-lished data on the pressure-raising effect of topically administered steroids in children from families free from glaucoma. Materials and methods In the present study we are reporting the influence of topically administered corticosteroids on the intraocular pressure in children treated for vernal conjunctivitis. Forty-four children were diagnosed as suffering from this disease and needed treatment with topical steroids. There were 32 boys and 12 girls, whose ages ranged from 4 to 19 years, average of 9 7 years. None of them were treated with steroid, topically or systematically, for at least 4 weeks. The treatment was identical in all cases: Dexamethasone phosphat