Effect of prolonged oral acyclovir treatment in acute retinal necrosis.

BACKGROUND: To examine the effectiveness of prolonged oral acyclovir treatment in patients with acute retinal necrosis (ARN).

METHODS: Fifty-five ARN patients (62 eyes) who had been treated with short-term or long-term oral acyclovir were identified in this retrospective study: one group treated with prolonged oral acyclovir (≥14 weeks) and the other group treated with a shorter duration of oral acyclovir (<14 weeks). The authors examined whether the prolonged treatment reduced the involvement of the contralateral eye. They also evaluated prognostic factors for visual outcome.

RESULTS: Prolonged oral acyclovir treatment reduced the involvement of the contralateral eye (p = .036). The visual outcome was influenced by the timing of treatment initiation after symptom onset (p = .030), the age of the patient (p = .027), the area of retinal disease (p = .026), and the retinal detachment (p = .002).

CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged oral acyclovir treatment had a significant role in preventing the involvement of the contralateral eye.