Adenine arabinoside in idoxuridine unresponsive and intolerant herpetic keratitis.

Twenty-two patients with active herpes simplex dendritic keratitis, in whom topical idoxuridine was unsuccessful in controlling their disease, were treated with topical adenine arabinoside (ara-A), a purine analogue effective against many DNA viruses. This drug was an effective antiviral agent in these patients. No signs of ocular or adnexal toxicity were noted.