Eye drops without preservatives have been found to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the tears of patients with pre-existing dry eye syndrome after cataract surgery.
A randomised controlled study of 80 patients with cataract and dry eye syndrome was published in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
Following cataract surgery, the patients were divided into two groups; 40 patients were treated with gatifloxacin 0.3 per cent, preservative-free sodium hyaluronate 0.1 per cent eye drops and preservative-free fluorometholone 0.1 per cent eye drops and the other 40 patients were treated with gatifloxacin 0.3 per cent, preserved sodium hyaluronate 0.1 per cent eye drops, and preserved fluorometholone 0.1 per cent eye drops. Both groups were instructed to use the drops four times a day in the first month and twice a day in the second month.
Researchers assessed antioxidant and inflammatory cytokine activities in tears, corneal fluorescein staining, impression cytology, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score, Schirmer I test and tear-film breakup time (TBUT).
The authors stated that the study “demonstrated that anti-inflammatory cytokines were decreased and antioxidants were increased in the tears of patients with pre-existing dry eye syndrome after cataract surgery after treatment with preservative-free steroid and lubricant eye drops compared with preserved eye drops… Several reports have shown that preservative-free eye drops decrease ocular surface inflammation and oxidative damage.
Therefore, we think the increase in antioxidants and decrease in the inflammatory response might be an indirect effect of preservative-free eye drops, which improve the ocular surface.”
They concluded: “Treatment with preservative-free sodium hyaluronate 0.1 per cent and fluorometholone 0.1 per cent eye drops can improve the OSDI score, TBUT, Schirmer I score, corneal staining and impression cytological findings compared with treatment with preserved eye drops in patients with pre-existing dry eye syndrome after cataract surgery. Preservative-free sodium hyaluronate 0.1 per cent and fluorometholone 0.1 per cent eye drops seem to be more effective in decreasing the ocular inflammation and in increasing the antioxidant contents in tears of patients with pre-existing dry eye syndrome after cataract surgery.”
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