Clinical utility of caspofungin eye drops in fungal keratitis

Abstract

Treatment of fungal keratitis remains challenging. To date, only the polyenes and azoles are commonly used topically in the management of fungal keratitis. Natamycin, a polyene, is the only antifungal eye drop that is commercially available; the remainder are prepared in-house and are used in an 'off-label' manner. Failure of medical treatment for fungal keratitis is common, hence there is a need for more effective topical antifungal therapy. To increase the antifungal eye drop armamentarium, it is important to investigate the utility of other classes of antifungal agents for topical use. Caspofungin, an echinocandin antifungal agent, could potentially be used to address the existing shortcomings. However, little is known about the usefulness of topically administered caspofungin. This review will briefly explore the incidence, epidemiology and antifungal treatment of fungal keratitis. It will focus primarily on evidence related to the efficacy, safety and practicality of using caspofungin eye drops in fungal keratitis.

Keywords: Caspofungin; Corneal ulcer; Cost; Echinocandins; Keratomycosis.