Twice-daily dosing of dexamethasone effective after strabismus surgery in children

Twice-a-day dosing of dexamethasone after strabismus surgery was as effective in controlling inflammation as four-times-daily dosing, according to a study in Chinese children. The lower dosing induced less increase in IOP and thus may be a better treatment option, the study authors said.

Dennis S.C. Lam, FRCOphth, and colleagues at the Chinese University of Hong Kong randomly assigned 137 children undergoing bilateral strabismus surgery to receive topical 0.1% dexamethasone eye drops either four times daily or twice daily for 4 weeks. Patients ranged in age from 3 to 10 years.

After surgery, IOP rose significantly in both groups compared to preoperative levels. The peak IOP ranged from 14 mm Hg to 50.3 mm Hg in the patients receiving four-times-daily dosing and from 11 mm Hg to 41.3 mm Hg in the patients receiving the twice-daily dosing. Children in the four-times-daily group had a greater net increase in IOP than those in the twice-daily dosing group, the researchers found. Younger children had higher peaks and reached them earlier in the four-times-daily dosing. No significant difference in ocular inflammatory response was noted in either group.

The study is published in the June issue of Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology.