Effects of Steroid Eye Drops on Intraocular Pressure in Post Operative Cataract Patients in a Tertiary Center

Steroids are known to cause elevation of IOP when used topical, periocular or systemic routes. IOP rise is said to be maximum with periocular use and minimum with systemic use. The degree of IOP elevation depends on the specific drug, the dose, the frequency of administration, and the individual patient.

To study the rise in IOP on using dexamethasone and prednisolone eye drops on postoperative cataract patients in a tertiary center.

It is a prospective hospital based follow up study done in 300 patients, their IOP were evaluated pre operatively and post operatively at 1 and 6 weeks.

In this study dexamethasone eye drops and prednisolone eye drops are used along with antibiotic eye drops for a period of 6 weeks in tapering schedule. The patients were examined pre operatively for cataract, IOP measured using Applanation tonometry and fundus examination. Patients were operated by standard SICS or phacoemulsification technique. Patients with uneventful post operative period were examined for IOP using Applanation tonometry at the end of 1st week and 6 weeks. This study was approved by local Institutional Ethics Committee.

Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS-16.0 for windows software. Analytical type of analysis were done. Percentages and p values were estimated and paried T test were done to find out significance.

Mean value of IOP in patients at the end of 1st week using eye drops dexamethasone was 14.63 and in patients using prednisolone was 14.31 and this found to be statistically insignificant, but at the end of 6th week mean value of IOP in patients using dexamethasone was 14.29 and prednisolone was 13.11 with p value of <0.005.

From this study it was found that there was no significant increase in IOP at the end of 1 week and 6 weeks in both groups. however dexamethasone group had significant IOP rise than on prednisolone group at the end of 6 week