Background:

To ensure the best post-procedure outcomes after simple or complex cataract surgery ophthalmic surgeons prescribe topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), to improve patient compliance, nepafenac 0.3% was approved in October 2012 and has been demonstrated to have equivalent efficacy to the 0.1% solution with only a once-daily administration.

Methodology:

This is a retrospective, case-control study of 90 patients, 45 in the case group and 45 in the control group.  All patients were evaluated pre-operatively for vision impairments, associated issues, comorbidities, and other exclusion criteria factors. A similar standardized method was used for surgery incision and pupil measurements to eliminate biases.  The data were assembled in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (version 22).

Results:

The overall mean age of study participants was 54.2 ± 3.8 years. Reported associated pathology diabetes mellitus was reported in 68.8% of the cases group, while upon categorizing it with or without diabetic retinopathy the cases group showed 31.1% and 37.7% frequency respectively. Overall comparison of the mean value of pupil size has indicated a prominent difference in pupil size after surgery in the cases group with a significant p-value of 0.02, indicating higher efficacy of nepafenac 0.3%. In both groups, diabetic patients' measurements were greater than non-diabetic patients' measurements, without statistically significant differences. There was no clinically significant vision loss in any of the patients.

Conclusion:

The use of nepafenac 0.3% as a preventive measure during cataract surgery was successful and safe in maintaining mydriasis and minimizing postoperative macular edema. A once-daily regimen of 0.3% concentration is no worse than a three-times-daily regimen of 0.1% concentration, resulting in higher patient compliance.

Keywords:

Nepafenac 0.3%, cataract surgery, Mydriasis.