Cetirizine

In this video perspective from the virtual American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting, Ranjan P. Malhotra, MD, discusses how having Zerviate (cetirizine ophthalmic solution 0.24%, Eyevance) gives him another tool to prescribe patients for ocular itch during spring allergy season.

ATLANTA – Eyevance announced the U.S. launch of Zerviate, indicated for treating ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis.

The last Pharmacology Consult column, “Antihistamines for the common cold: Where’s the evidence?” (September 2019), reviewed recently published data suggesting that antihistamine product use may be increasing for the treatment of common cold symptoms. Because recent recommendations and regulations have decreased the use of cough/cold products in the pediatric population, pediatric health care providers may be turning to antihistamine-based products instead. Commonly used first-generation antihistamines have strong anticholinergic properties, and recently published data from the adult population have suggested that long-term use of these drugs may increase the risk for developing dementia. As summaries of these publications find their way to the lay media, it is understandable that parents may wonder about the long-term safety of using antihistamines in children. Although the diagnosis of dementia is certainly not associated with the pediatric population, parents may still express concern about the adverse effects and long-term safetyof antihistamines.

Whether you are speaking at or listening to a CME lecture or a sponsored dinner program, the number of dry eye disease patients in the U.S. is given as either 16 million or 30 million patients. I have long held that both are underestimates. From my experience in the clinic and chatting with other eye docs around the country, DED is vastly underdiagnosed. My working number of likely DED sufferers in the U.S. has been 50 million. It has been my contention that dry eye symptoms have been ascribed to other diagnoses by both patients and doctors. While working on a new presentation, I learned that 60 million Americans are diagnosed with allergic conjunctivitis, which confirms my suspicion.

Recommendations for the treatment of common viral upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in children have undergone significant changes over the past 10 years. In 2008, the FDA and the AAP recommended avoiding over-the-counter products for the treatment of URTI symptoms, including cough/cold (C/C), in young children. These products should be avoided in children aged younger than 4 years, and the AAP cautions about their use in children aged 4 to 6 years and only when the child is receiving care from a provider.