Nepafenac Versus Ketorolac Eye Drops in Prevention of Intraoperative Miosis During Cataract Surgery

Maintaining adequate mydriasis is one of the most important prerequisites during both extracapsular cataract extraction and phacoemulsification intervention. The importance of intraoperative maintenance of mydriasis arises from the necessity for the surgeon to insert intra-ocular lens in the posterior chamber of the eye. It is now well established that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce intraoperative miosis during cataract surgery. Topical Flurbiprofen, Indomethacin and Diclofenac with and without intraoperative epinephrine are the commonest topical non-steroidal eye drops with which nearly all publications in the literature studied the prevention of intraoperative surgery-induced miosis. In addition, Diclofenac was found to be the most effective NSAIDs agent in maintaining intraoperative mydriasis.

More recently, evidence that some NSAIDs, namely ketorolac and Flurbiprofen, may have a role in preventing pseudophakic cystoid macular oedema.

Patients whom eyes are pre-treated with some NSAIDs, especially diclofenac, shows a statistically significant reduction in the degree of postoperative inflammation (e.g., redness, pain and itching) on the first post-operative day. On the contrary, Thaller et al found, in his study at 2000, that no statistically significant difference in the postoperative redness, pain and cells in the anterior chamber.

Administration of Adrenalin in the anterior chamber fluid is found by several studies to be more effective in maintaining intraoperative mydriasis than preoperative treatment with NSAIDs.