Background: Cataract surgery, one of the most successful surgery, depends on appropriate postoperative drug therapy. Subconjunctival injection of steroid preparation allows for better absorption and prolong availability. In comparison to topical drug therapy it has many fold advantages.
Aim & Objective: the aim of the study was to check the comparative effectiveness of subconjunctival triamcinolone acetonide and topical steroids in controlling intraocular inflammation, improving best corrected visual acuity and assessing patient comfort after cataract surgery.
Materials and Methods: This was a comparative, prospective, simple randomized study conducted on 193 patients diagnosed with cataract. They were divided equally into 2 groups and both groups underwent phacoemulsification. Patients in Group A received a 0.5 mL sub-conjunctival injection of Triamcinolone Acetate along with intracameral moxifloxacin (0.5%). In contrast, Group B patients were administered only intracameral moxifloxacin (0.5%) at the conclusion of the surgery. Follow-up appointments for the patients were scheduled on post-operative Day 1, Day 7, Day 21, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks.
Results: There was better improvement in best corrected visual acuity in group A patients (LogMAR 0-0.2) in comparison to group B (LogMAR 0.3-0.5) on post operative day 1. Intraocular pressure rise was not seen post operatively in either group. Markers of inflammation- anterior chamber cells and flare were also less developed in patients of group A than group B on post-operative day 1 and subsequent visits.
Conclusion: Post-operative sub conjunctival triamcinolone acetonide is a better alternative than prolonged use of tapering topical steroids thereby overcoming ocular surface related and patient related problems.
Keywords: Cataract surgery, E subconjunctival triamcinolone injection, Topical corticosteroid.
