Intracameral fluoroquinolone seems safe, effective after phaco

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Injection of moxifloxacin 0.5% ophthalmic solution was administered safely in patients after phacoemulsification, resulting in insignificant loss of endothelial cells, a study found.

"Intracameral moxifloxacin 0.5 mg/mL appeared to be nontoxic and a safe drug to be used after cataract surgery in order to prevent endophthalmitis," study authors said in a poster presentation at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting here.

A.P. Figueiredo and colleagues conducted a study of 110 eyes injected intracamerally with Vigamox (moxifloxacin 0.5%, Alcon) after phaco. Follow-up was 1 day and 1 month after surgery, with anterior chamber reaction, corneal endothelial cell density, corneal thickness and retinal thickness measured.

They found that the mean endothelial cell count difference from preop to postop was 81 cells/mm², not a statistically significant amount. In addition, at 1 month postop, increases of 14.61 µm in pachymetry and 10.12 µm in retinal thickness were not statistically significant.

"All eyes had trace to +2 cells and flare anterior chamber reaction only on the first day after surgery," the researchers said.