Analysis of Intraocular Pressure Variation with Use of Steroid Eye Drops as Post-operative Medication in Cataract Patients

Background and aim: Steroid drops are necessarily used after cataract surgery to control the ocular inflammation, but they can increase the intraocular pressure. Using two different steroid eye drops as post-operative medication after cataract surgery to compare the intraocular pressure variation and control of ocular inflammation.
Material and methods: A comparative hospital-based study was conducted on 180 patients who underwent cataract surgery with Intraocular lens implantation. Two groups 1 and 2 were made based on the exposure to either Dexamethasone 0.1% e/d or Prednisolone acetate 1% e/d, respectively. Both drops were prescribed six times daily for the first week and gradually tapered off in 6 weeks. The anti-inflammatory effect and mean IOP rise from baseline in groups 1 and 2 were analyzed and compared. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 24.0.
Results: Intraocular Pressure increase was noted more in group 1 (25.56%) versus group 2 (17.78%), with a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) after one week. after the fourth and sixth weeks, the intraocular pressure rise (IOP) was observed in 15.56% and 8.89% versus 10% and 4.44% of the subjects in Group 1 and group 2, respectively. Both the drugs effectively controlled ocular inflammation, and there was no significant difference in their anti-inflammatory effects.
Conclusions: Our study concludes that dexamethasone is equally efficacious to Prednisolone in managing post-cataract ocular inflammation with marginally raised IOP in the first week in steroid responders. IOP returns to baseline with a reduction of the drop's frequency.