Abstract
Purpose :
This study sought to characterize the need for adjunctive drop therapy with topical steroids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drops (NSAID) in patients who received the Dextenza implant after routine phacoemulsification cataract surgery.
Methods :
A retrospective chart review was performed. Patients who received a Dextenza implant after cataract surgery between January 2020 to July 2020 with at least 3 months of follow-up were included. Initiation of steroid or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drop therapy, reason for therapy, and time of therapy initiation were collected.
Results :
A total of 203 eyes were included for analysis with a mean patient age of 71.7 years. 59.1% were female and 87.7% self-identified as Caucasian. Anti-inflammatory drops (steroid, NSAID, or both) were started in 31.2% of eyes (62 eyes, excluding 3 eyes with unknown drop status and 1 eye started on drops after the 3-month follow-up period). Of all included eyes (excluding 9 eyes with unknown drop status), only 21.6% (42 eyes) were started because of persistent corneal edema, inflammation, post-operative pain, or cystoid macular edema. Of the 42 eyes started on drops due to clinical signs or symptoms, the majority of these (64.3%, 27 eyes) were started on topical steroids only. The remaining 35.7% (15 eyes) were started on both topical steroids and NSAIDs. In 72.6% of eyes requiring adjunctive therapy, treatment was started within the first week after surgery. The mean duration of adjunctive drop therapy was 36.6 days.
Conclusions :
The majority of eyes that received Dextenza implantation after routine cataract surgery did not require topical anti-inflammatory therapy to control post-operative inflammation. Of those that did, most required the addition of a single drop, usually within the first week after surgery. This demonstrates that the sustained-release intracanalicular dexamethasone implant Dextenza is a viable platform for simplifying post-operative treatment regimens by reducing or eliminating the need for topical therapy after cataract surgery.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.