Ketorolac shows efficacy for reducing cystoid macular edema after phaco

Prophylactically administering the topical NSAID ketorolac tromethamine 0.5% both before and after cataract surgery appears to decrease postoperative cystoid macular edema, according to a study by researchers in Canada.

Sherif El-Defrawy, MD, PhD, and colleagues at Queen's University in Kingston used optical coherence tomography to evaluate the drug's effect on acute cystoid macular edema and total macular volume after conventional cataract surgery. The study included 106 eyes of 98 patients randomly assigned to either the ketorolac treatment group or a control group, according to the study.

Patients in the study group began treatment with ketorolac 2 days before surgery and continued with treatment for 29 days postoperatively, the authors noted.

At 1 month postop, patients who received ketorolac had 45.8% less macular swelling (P = .009) and a significantly smaller total macular volume, which averaged 0.2392 mm³ compared with 0.4420 mm³ in the control group, according to the study.

"Multiple linear regression with backward selection indicated a 44.3% (P = .013) and 46.1% (P = .030) reduction in macular swelling in the ketorolac group at 1 week and 1 month, respectively," the authors said.

The study is published in the January issue of Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.