Abstract
Purpose :
Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of nicergoline in patients with persistent corneal epithelial defect.
Methods :
Methods: This is a retrospective analysis, of consecutive case series. The study included 10 eyes of 9 patients with persistent corneal epithelial defect unresponsive to conventional therapy. Patients were treated with 10 mg nicergoline orally twice a day for at least 2 weeks. Slit-lamp examination, photography, corneal fluorescein dye testing, and best- corrected visual acuity were performed before and after treatment.
Results :
Results: Two male and seven female patients with persistent corneal epithelial defect unresponsive to conventional therapy treated with oral nicergoline were included. Average age was 60.9 years (51-76 years). The most frequent diagnoses associated with persistent corneal defect were neurotrophic (3 patients) and exposure ulcer (2 patients). In eight eyes (72.7%), epithelial defects healed completely between 10 and 28 days of treatment with nicergoline (mean resolution time17 days). Epithelial defects persisted in 2 eyes (27.3%).
Conclusions :
Conclusion: Nicergoline represents a potential therapeutic option in patients with abnormal corneal healing responses. Further studies and clinical trials need to be conducted to prove safety and efficacy as a treatment for persistent corneal epithelium defects in humans.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.