Title : Effects of Manuka honey eye drops among patients diagnosed with adenoviral conjunctivitis
Abstract:
Background:
Honey has been used for centuries as a medicine to treat various ailments and infections. A large amount of research has established that honey has potent antibacterial activity. However, the sensitivity to honey of viral species that cause infections has been studied in only a small number of cases.
Aim:
This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Manuka Honey eye drops among patients diagnosed with adenovirus conjunctivitis.
Subjects and Methods:
Sixty-one patients with adenovirus keratoconjunctivitis were recruited in this a quasi-experimental, multi-center study. All eligible subjects were randomly categorized into two groups: the first group was the control group which treated with steroids (conventional treatment), while the second group was the intervention group that was treated with Manuka Honey drops at a concentration of 16.5% four times/day with conventional treatment (steroids). Symptoms in both groups and the total ocular symptom score (TOSS) were compared.
Results:
The results have showed the effectiveness of Manuka Honey drops in relieving symptoms of adenovirus keratoconjunctivitis in favor of the experimental group. The findings of this study indicated that there is a statistically significant differences between groups in number of the days to survive from adenovirus keratoconjunctivitis (P>0.001). Also, the mean itchy, redness and tearing score at day 4 among the patients in the intervention group was more less than those in the control group (P >0.001). In addition, TOSS score at day 4 and day 8 among the patients in the intervention group was extremely less than those in the control group (P>0.001).
Conclusion:
The results of this study have shown important improvements in the symptoms of adenovirus keratoconjunctivitis. Our results suggest that Manuka honey eye-drops has potential as an adjunct natural treatment with the conventional steroids for adenovirus keratoconjunctivitis as it shows positive results within a short span of time.
Keywords: Manuka Honey; Eye Drop; Adenoviral; Conjunctivitis.
