Twelve children with severe chronic vernal keratoconjunctivitis participated in a pilot study aimed at evaluating the effect of 2% cyclosporine eyedrops on the clinical course and symptoms of this disease. Eleven of the 12 children showed improvement after the first week of treatment. Nine patients demonstrated persistent improvement at the completion of the treatment schedule after six weeks. However, although seven of the children were symptom-free while being treated, only three were free of disease two months after cessation of the cyclosporine eyedrops. The other nine showed rapid recurrence of their symptoms.