The British journal of ophthalmology
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Steroid management in giant cell arteritis.
Ocular involvement in giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an ophthalmic emergency which, if untreated, can progress to permanent blindness. There is little evidence in the literature to support current protocols for the acute treatment of GCA with steroids. The authors sought to review the effects of intravenous and oral steroids in GCA. ⋯ Prompt treatment of GCA with steroids leads to improvement of visual acuity in a significant number of cases. Intravenous steroids may offer a greater prospect of improvement compared with oral steroids. A prospective trial comparing intravenous with oral steroids is needed to validate these findings and would not expose elderly patients to unacceptable risks.