Ocular allergy: types, age of onset, prevalence and morbidity
Keywords:
ocular allergy, allergic conjunctivitis, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, atopic keratoconjunctivitis, contact blepharoconjunctivitis, giant papillary conjunctivitis.Abstract
Introduction: Allergy is the most common disorder of the immune system. In recent decades, the prevalence of allergic diseases has increased considerably in all countries.
Objective: To describe the current context of ocular allergy in order to make an early diagnosis, an early identification of subtypes, establish an adequate therapeutic management and control of severity.
Methods: A systematic search of the scientific literature with the highest impact was performed using keywords. The search was limited by type of design (reviews, case series, descriptive, analytical and experimental studies, meta-analysis). The language of the publication was not taken into account. The databases used were: PubMed, Ebsco Host, Lilacs and Science Direct. A total of 114 articles were identified and evaluated, of which 24 were selected for their relevance to the study.
Conclusions: Ocular allergy is one of the most common ocular disorders encountered in pediatric and ophthalmology consultations. Although in most cases these are mild forms, they can interfere with the patient's quality of life. It is important that these patients with ophthalmologic manifestations of allergy are referred to the Allergist to detect other pathology, which associated with the allergic condition originate the symptoms that are usually severe, with a significant duration and frequency.
