AUTOIMMUNE OCULAR DISORDERS - CURRENT STATUS OF ORAL TOLERANCE THERAPY

The ability of orally presented antigen to induce a state of tolerance has been recognised for many years. The use of this immunological phe nomenon of oral tolerance to treat autoimmune diseases is a more recen t development in the field of mucosal immunology. Ocular autoimmunity is especially intriguing because of the unique immunological character istics of the eye. On the basis of laboratory data, the 'feeding' of o cular antigens has been proposed as a safe and efficacious therapy for uveitis. Two patients with uveitis have been successfully treated wit h oral administration of retinal S-antigen, and a larger phase I/II tr ial of oral tolerance as a treatment for uveitis is currently being co mpleted at the National Eye Institute.