Oral acyclovir in herpetic keratitis.

A double blind comparative study of oral acyclovir and acyclovir ophthalmic ointment was carried out on 29 patients with simple herpetic dendritic corneal ulceration. Patients were randomly allocated to the study. Healing was achieved in all fourteen patients treated with acyclovir ointment, and in fourteen out of fifteen patients treated with oral acyclovir. The mean healing time of 5.6 days was identical for both patient groups. There was no significant systemic or local side effects recorded in either group. The level of acyclovir in tear fluid was measured, and in patients receiving oral acyclovir the level was in excess of the ED50 of herpes simplex virus type 1.