Acanthamoeba keratitis has received the attention of the ophthalmic scientific world for years. A significant contribution concerning both the epidemiology and the pharmacological treatment of this rare and debilitating corneal infection is made by the study entitled "Acanthamoeba keratitis therapy: time to cure and visual outcome analysis for different anti-amoebic therapies in 227 cases', soon to be published in the prestigious international ophthalmic journal "British Journal of Ophtalmology". This study presents the largest case history ever published and is the result of close collaboration between SIFI, Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.
The aim of the research was to verify the therapeutic efficacy of the various 'off-label' therapies used at the two European reference centres in London and Milan and to provide important information on the 'burden' associated with this disease.
The study data indicate that the combination of PHMB (Polyhexamethylene Biguanide) with a diamidine is the most frequently used initial treatment option and that a significant proportion of patients require a change in therapy during the course of the disease. The study also shows that the various treatment options used lead to overlapping and not always satisfactory results. Moreover, for a number of patients, surgical treatment is necessary for complete recovery. The study data also suggest that PHMB, when used alone (monotherapy), is the best therapeutic option in the treatment of this rare eye disease. Confirmation of this indication may come from the conclusion of the Phase III clinical trial, supported by SIFI and currently underway.
For further information, we recommend:
ODAK project: phase III clinical study starts in Italy
The ODAK project at the European Conference on Rare Diseases & Orphan Products in Edinburgh
Acanthamoeba keratitis and medical therapy
Dr. Carmelo Chines
Direttore responsabile
English 
Italian