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Arch Ophthalmol. 1999;117(3):391-392.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE

Acyclovir for the Prevention of Recurrent Herpes Simplex Virus Eye Disease

The Herpetic Eye Disease Study Group.

Background: Long-term treatment with antiviral agents has been shown to prevent recurrences of genital and orofacial herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease, but it is uncertain whether prophylactic treatment can prevent recurrences of ocular HSV disease.

Methods: We randomly assigned 703 immunocompetent patients who had had ocular HSV disease within the preceding year to receive 400 mg of acyclovir or placebo orally twice daily. The study outcomes were the rates of development of ocular or nonocular HSV disease during a 12-month treatment period and a 6-month observation period.

Results: The cumulative probability of a recurrence of any type of ocular HSV disease during the 12-month treatment period was 19 percent in the acyclovir group and 32 percent in the placebo group (P<0.001). Among the 337 patients with . . . [Full Text of this Article]