Conditions: Allergic Conjunctivitis
Keywords: tears conjunctival epithelial cells olopatadine eosinophils
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 21
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
The purpose of the research is to determine which inflammatory substances are involved in causing allergic symptoms in the eye. Allergic conjunctivitis is a common problem with symptoms of temporary redness, itching, tearing, and swelling of the eyes. Substances released by cells in the affected tissues cause allergic reactions in the eye and elsewhere in the body.

Detailed description:
Ocular allergies are extremely common, affecting up to 80 million people in the USA. Our research question is:

Are there differences in inflammatory mediators and cell surface activation markers in patients undergoing seasonal allergic conjunctivitis compared to those with sight threatening disease such as Atopic Keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) and will the use of the anti-allergy eye drop, PATANOL® (olopatadine hydrochloride) affect these parameters?

Experimental Design:

Ocular surface cells (by impression cytology) and tears (via capillary tube) are collected from allergic, non-allergic, and AKC subjects undergoing an reaction induced either by seasonal allergen or topical allergen provocation (specificity and dose determined via skin testing). Ocular surface cells are evaluated for surface activation markers. Tears are evaluated for mediator content. Tears are also incubated with peripheral blood eosinophils and lymphocytes to see effects on adhesion to conjunctival epithelial cells.

Arms:
arm 1: one drop in one eye only two times per day at an interval of 6 to 8 hours for 1 week

Interventions: intervention 1: olopatadine
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: olopatadine one drop in one eye for one week

Protocol document: