Basic immunology and current therapeutic concepts in ocular allergy

Abstract

Ocular allergy belongs to the most common ocular diseases globally. Following clinical phenotype and immunopathogenesis different forms of allergy are distinguished, which require different forms of therapeutic approach. This manuscript reviews the basic immunological processes involved in the development of ocular allergies and current and future therapeutic approaches. Results of a literature search in PubMed and our own clinical and experimental experience are presented. In the immunopathogenesis of ocular allergy different immune cells such as dendritic cells, B-cells, T-cells, mast cells, eosinophils and regulatory T-cells are involved. Therapeutic approaches focus on either relief of symptoms using antihistamins or mast cell stabilisers or combinations of both. In severe cases steroids or calcineurin inhibitors are used. Despite great progress in the investigation of ocular allergy in the past decade several open questions remain, such as the relation of ocular allergy with dry eye disease. Future therapeutic approaches will likely be based on recently identified new aspects such as lymphangiogenesis and will allow better and potentially causal treatment of ocular allergy.