FLUCONAZOLE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF FUNGAL OCULAR INFECTIONS

The number of fungal infections has increased dramatically, and those involving the eye pose a serious problem and treatment challenge to pr acticing physicians. Despite the overall effectiveness of conventional treatment with amphotericin B, there are several well-recognized disa dvantages associated with this drug. The topical agent natamycin, alth ough effective against the filamentous fungi, is less effective agains t Candida species. Ketoconazole, an effective broad-spectrum, oral ant ifungal, possesses a better safety profile than amphotericin B, but is also associated with potential toxicity and drug interactions. The on going search for improved antifungal compounds led to the development of fluconazole. This review article focuses on fluconazole in the trea tment of patients with fungal infections of the eye. In addition to it s proven effectiveness and safety in patients with various mycoses, th e pharmacokinetic profile of fluconazole confers many advantages inclu ding diffusion into ocular tissue. A number of reported cases document the effectiveness of this triazole in human ocularmycoses without the occurrence of significant side effects.