Study: Prolonged use of topical steroids has no effect on CNV

Prolonging the use of topical steroids beyond 6 months after non-high-risk keratoplasty has little if any effect on the incidence and extent of corneal neovascularization (CNV), researchers say in Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. Corneal endothelial cell count, pachymetry, aqueous flare values and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 1 year after keratoplasty were unaffected by long-term topical steroid use as well.

Researchers with the department of ophthalmology at Friedrich-Alexander University in Nuremberg, Germany, assessed the corneal photographs of 136 patients preop and postop to determine the incidence and extent of corneal neovascularization after keratoplasty and the relation of short term (up to 6 months) and long-term (up to 12 months) postop use of topical steroids.

Of the 136 patients, 69 were assigned to short-term and 67 to long-term topical prednisolone acetate 1%.

Researchers found there was no significant difference regarding incidence and extent of corneal neovascularization 1 year after keratoplasty between the long-term and the short-term groups. Duration of topical steroid therapy also had no significant effect on corneal endothelial cell count, corneal thickness, aqueous flare values and BCVA at 6 months and 12 months postop. At 12 months the corneas in the long-term group were slightly thicker.