Effect of 1% brinzolamide and 0.5% timolol fixed combination on intraocular pressure after cataract surgery with phacoemulsification

Prophylaxis against intraocular pressure spikes following uncomplicated phacoemulsification: a systematic-review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

To investigate the effect of perioperative intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering medications on controlling postoperative IOP following uncomplicated phacoemulsification.

METHODS

Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched up until November 2022. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed IOP change via applanation tonometry in medicated and control arms following uncomplicated cataract surgery in healthy eyes were included. The primary outcome was the weighted mean difference (WMD) of IOP at 2-8 h, 12-24 h, and 1-7 days postoperatively within each medication class or common fixed-combination formulations. Risk of bias was assessed using the revised risk of bias in randomised trials (RoB-2). Level of evidence was rated using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) RESULTS: From 702 screened articles, 30 RCTs involving 2986 eyes were included. There was a statistically significant reduction in IOP favouring treatment arms at 2-8 h (WMD = -3.87 mmHg; 95% CI [-4.75, -3.00]; p < 0.001) and 12-24 h (WMD = -2.69 mmHg; 95% CI [-3.36, -2.02]; p < 0.001), with the effect wearing off beyond 1 day (p = 0.18). Between medication classes, the largest effect at both 2-8 h and 12-24 h was observed with intracameral cholinergics or fixed-combination carbonic anhydrase inhibitor-beta-blocker (FCCB) formulations. Conversely, the smallest effect was observed with prostaglandin analogues, alpha-agonists, and topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs).

CONCLUSION

Prophylaxis against acute IOP elevations following uncomplicated cataract surgery is effective. FCCB and intracameral cholinergics are the most effective ocular antihypertensive agents, while alpha-agonists, prostaglandin analogues, and topical CAIs were found to be the least effective. These findings may inform future surgical guidelines.

A review on ocular findings in mouse lemurs: potential links to age and genetic background

Mouse lemurs, the world's smallest primates, inhabit forests in Madagascar. They are nocturnal, arboreal and dependent on vision for their everyday lives. In the last decades, the grey mouse lemur became increasingly important for biomedical research, in particular aging research. Experiments which require the combination of visual fitness and old age consequently depend on a solid knowledge of ocular pathologies. Although ocular diseases in mouse lemurs have been described as being common, they have not received much attention so far. Yet it is important to know when and why ocular diseases in captive mouse lemurs may occur. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of known ocular findings in mouse lemurs. It summarizes the frequency of ocular findings in captive mouse lemur colonies and points to their likely causes and treatment options based on the evidence available from other animals and humans. In addition, it shall be discussed whether age or genetic background may affect their development. This review may be used as a reference for future studies which require an assessment of visual performance in mouse lemurs and help to evaluate observed clinical signs and ocular diseases. Furthermore, the high incidence of specific diseases may provide new perspectives and set the groundwork for a new animal model for ocular research.

Safety of hydroimplantation in cataract surgery in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome

AIM

To evaluate the safety of hydroimplantation in cataract surgery in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome.

METHODS

This prospective randomized study comprised 100 eyes of 100 consecutive patients who underwent cataract surgery and implantation of foldable intraocular lens (IOL). Each eye was assigned to group 1 or group 2. Hydroimplantation without using viscoelastic agent as group 1 (n=50), and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (Eyevisc, Biotech, India) was used in group 2 (n=50).

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences in central corneal thickness (CCT) and corneal endothelial cell count (ECC) between both groups at each visit and percentage change in CCT and ECC (P>0.05). The mean intraocular pressure (IOP) at postoperative 5h increased statistically significantly in group 2 (P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in IOP between two groups, before and after surgery excluding the 24h postoperative IOP, but patients in group 2 had higher IOP than that in the group 1 at 24h after surgery (P=0.035). No case in either group experienced posterior capsular rupture, or zonular dialysis. Fixation of the globe during IOL implantation was better in group 1 than that in group 2.

CONCLUSION

Hydroimplantation has advantages in terms of IOP changes and duration of the surgery and seems to be safe in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome.

Comparison of brimonidine-timolol and dorzolamide-timolol in the management of intraocular pressure increase after phacoemulsification

AIM

To compare the effectiveness of brimonidine/timolol fixed combination (BTFC) and dorzolamide/timolol fixed combination (DTFC) in the management of short-term intraocular pressure (IOP) increase after phacoemulsification surgery.

METHODS

Eighty eyes of 80 patients undergoing phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation were randomly assigned into three groups. Group 1 consisted of 28 eyes and represented the control group. Group 2 consisted of 25 eyes undergoing phacoemulsification surgery and BTFC was instilled at the end of surgery. Group 3 consisted of 27 eyes undergoing phacoemulsification surgery and DTFC was instilled at the end of surgery. IOP was measured preoperatively and 6, 24h and 1wk postoperatively.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference in preoperative baseline IOP among the three groups (P=0.84). However, IOP was significantly lower in groups 2 and 3 compared to the control group (P<0.05 for all comparisons) at all postoperative visits. There was no significant difference between groups 2 and 3 at any visit. Eight eyes (28.6%) in the control group, two (8%) in Group 2 and one (3.7%) in Group 3 had IOP >25 mm Hg at 6h after surgery (P=0.008). However, IOP decreased and was >25 mm Hg in only one eye in each group at 24h after surgery.

CONCLUSION

BTFC and DTFC have similar effects in reducing increases in IOP after phacoemulsification surgery and can both be recommended for preventing IOP spikes after such surgery.