Patients: Minimum drop therapy preferred to control postop cataract pain and inflammation
A medication regimen that reduces the amount of eye drops is strongly preferred by patients and also reduces patient cost, according to results from a study presented at AAO 2020 Virtual.
The study evaluated the patient experience of each eye in cataract surgery when one eye was treated with a “minimum drops” regimen, including an intraocular depot of dexamethasone (Dexycu, EyePoint) and intracameral moxifloxacin, and the other eye was treated with topical drops (prednisolone acetate and moxifloxacin drops). Patient preference, pain, and cost of medications were measured, as well as patient-reported out-of-pocket cost of each regimen.
Results demonstrated that among the 27 participants (54 eyes) studied, a strong patient preference for the eye receiving minimum drops was observed, with 97% of patients preferring the minimum drop eye. The proportion of patients with uncorrected vision of 20/20 was significantly higher at all time points with patients who had received fewer drops. No significant difference in change in macular thickness or IOP was noted. Pain was reported as similar between the 2 eyes, and cost of medication was reported as significantly higher (3.5 times) in the eye receiving 3 eyedrops.
Reference
Hovanesian JA and Donnenfeld ED. The D3 study: drug delivery vs. drops—a prospective clinical study evaluating DEXYCU vs. prednisolone acetate 1% in controlling postoperative pain and inflammation in patients undergoing sequential cataract surgery. Presented at: AAO 2020 Virtual. [Session: PO049].