Author(s): Monique M. Barbour, MD, Bria George, PharmD
Key Takeaways
- Dropless cataract surgery eliminates postoperative eye drops, enhancing patient adherence and reducing complications like infection and inflammation.
- Intracameral drug delivery during surgery offers cost efficiency and improved patient satisfaction by simplifying postoperative care.
- Challenges include compounded medication availability and potential allergic reactions, necessitating further research for standardized protocols.
- The technique involves injecting a compounded mix of medications, offering significant postoperative advantages and improved surgical outcomes.
Removing drops from procedure increases adherence and comfort for most patients.
Cataract surgery is a routinely performed procedure globally that has traditionally involved the use of postoperative topical eye drops to prevent infection and manage inflammation. However, dropless cataract surgery represents a departure from this conventional approach by utilizing intracameral drug delivery during surgery to provide an extended postoperative prophylaxis.1
Principles of dropless cataract surgery
The traditional regime for treating a patient who undergoes cataract surgery begins with the preoperative routine of prescribing 3 essential topical medications that the patient begins to take 1 day before surgery. These medications include an antibiotic such as a fourth-generation quinolone, a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory, and a steroid to be taken 4 times a day, starting the day before surgery and continuing for 1 week. At the end of the first week, the antibiotic drop is discontinued as long as the patient is improving. The nonsteroid and steroid anti-inflammatory topical medications are continued twice a day until 1-month post-operation, at which point the medications are fully discontinued…..
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Source: Ophthalmology Times