Foscarnet eyedrops for the treatment of refractory herpetic keratitis

Caroline C Awh; Austen N Knapp; Jeffrey M Goshe; Craig W See; Careen Y Lowder

doi:10.1186/s12348-024-00395-0

Foscarnet eyedrops for the treatment of refractory herpetic keratitis

J Ophthalmic Inflamm Infect. 2024 Oct 23;14(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s12348-024-00395-0.

Authors

Caroline C Awh¹, Austen N Knapp¹, Jeffrey M Goshe¹, Craig W See¹, Careen Y Lowder²

Affiliations

¹ Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, i-32, 9500, Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.
² Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, i-32, 9500, Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA. lowderc@ccf.org.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this case series is to describe the clinical course of patients receiving foscarnet eyedrops for the treatment of refractory herpetic keratitis.

Observations: Six patients diagnosed with herpetic keratitis were treated with foscarnet 24 mg/mL (2.4%) eyedrops with resulting improvement in keratitis.

Conclusion: Topical foscarnet may be a safe and effective treatment for herpetic keratitis in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, conventional antiviral therapy. This is an off-label use of foscarnet.