Amantadine was originally discovered as an anti-viral to treat influenza in the 1950s. In the late 1960s, it was discovered to be useful in treating tremors and dyskinesia associated with Parkinson's disease and began to be widely used for this purpose. Today amantadine is prescribed for some chronic neurodegenerative and neurocognitive diseases. The mechanism of action of amantadine is largely unknown. Amantadine keratopathy is a term used to describe corneal edema and subsequent decrease in visual acuity that is assumed to be caused by the drug. Corneal edema typically resolves with discontinuation of the drug, although cases requiring corneal transplants have been reported.
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