After specializing in ophthalmology 1980 I made my dissertation about allergic eye diseases 1992. Since then I have worked in Helsinki University Skin and Allergy Hospital of Helsinki. There I have worked together with allergologists, ORL specialists, dermatologists, lung specialists, internists and pathologist. I have there made research about ocular allergies, ocular lid diseases, dry eye etc. Many skin diseases have also ocular involvement. I have developed diagnostics and new treatment. I was among the first one who began to use tacrolimus ointment in severe atopic and allergic lid diseases. In connection to my thesis we found together with Professor Tari Haahtela a new ocular disease which belongs to the group allergic diseases, namely “ Non-atopic Eosinophilic Conjunctivitis”, NAEC. We have several reports about it but still the etiology is unclear. Since 2009 I have been Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmic Allergology . I am at the moment the only Finnish Ophthalmic Allergologist. I have about 25 years made my whole ophthalmic work with severe external eye diseases including various allergic diseases. For years I have used as diagnostic aid ocular conjunctival cytology and biopsies in diagnostics. I have done this together with pathologists. Lid diseases are very common and often neglected diseases among other ocular disease e.g. glaucoma. But however just glaucoma is just that disease which brings a lot of eyelid and other problems. We have developed in Skin and Allergy Hospital a special test series for ophthalmic drugs incl. glaucoma drugs. Marginal blepharitis is another big group of common lid diseases. It may be alone or it is connected with certain inflammatory skin diseases. Its therapy was ignored for a long time. We were in Finland the first ones who began systematically examine and treat it. We recognized the central role of meibomian and other lid glands in the wetting system of the eye. Dry eye is common and it is often connected with ocular allergic diseases. The conjunctival cytology revealed its inflammatory nature for many years ago. We started then the anti-inflammatory treatment besides the lubricating drops and could more effective help the patients.

External eye diseases; allergic eye diseases, ocular dermatological diseases, autoimmune diseases, lid diseases, conjunctival diseases, contact lenses, ocular cytology, side effects of ocular drugs (e.g. allergy), dry eye