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The efficacy and safety of emedastine 0.05% eye drops (Emadine; Alcon Laboratories, Inc, Fort Worth, Texas), a new H(1) antagonist, were studied in comparison to levocabastine 0.05% eye drops (Livostin; Janssen-Cilag N V, Berchem, Belgium) during a twice-daily treatment schedule for 6 weeks in adult and pediatric patients with seasonal allergic conjunctivitis.In a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-masked, parallel group study, 222 patients with allergic conjunctivitis were randomized (221 received treatment) to either emedastine or levocabastine, instilled twice daily for 6 weeks. Patient diaries were completed four times daily (before the morning and evening instillations, at noon, and in the afternoon), and clinical examinations were conducted at regular intervals. Primary efficacy variables of ocular redness and itching and secondary efficacy variables of chemosis, eyelid swelling, patient diary data, and physician's global assessment were analyzed.Both emedastine and levocabastine produced a statistically significant (P =.0001) reduction in itching and redness within 5 minutes of the first instillation. All signs and symptoms improved progressively over the 6-week treatment period. After 7 days of use, and throughout the remainder of the study, emedastine was statistically superior to levocabastine (P.006) in preventing and alleviating the signs and symptoms (itching, redness, chemosis, and eyelid swelling) of allergic conjunctivitis.Emedastine 0.05% eye drops administered twice daily are more efficacious than levocabastine 0.05% eye drops in the prevention and treatment of the signs and symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis in adults and children of 4 years and above. Both emedastine 0.05% eye drops and levocabastine 0.05% eye drops were well tolerated.

Resume Sur 135 patients atteints de conjonctivite ou de conjonctivo-keratite chronique allergique, le dosage des IgE dans les larmes a pu etre pratique chez un peu plus de la moitie d'entre eux, permettant l'evaluation de la production locale dans la plupart de ces cas. La positivite du test intradermique reste la methode de reference pour poser le diagnostic de conjonctivite allergique. La comparaison entre la mesure de la production locale (methode objective) et l'existence d'une reaction syndromique (methode subjective) donne des resultats concordants dans 65 p. cent des cas et complementaires dans les autres cas. L'evaluation de la production locale des IgE apparait donc utile au diagnostic d'allergie conjonctivale, en particulier dans les cas ou le diagnostic clinique est difficile mais une certaine imprecision subsiste, liee a des problemes techniques (manque de sensibilite de la methode) et theoriques (criteres d'evaluation de l'etat de la barriere hemato-lacrymale).