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Medical Forum / General / Vision / December 2008Steroid drops after PRK
Hello, I was wondering if somebody can explain the purpose of steroid drops (such as Flarex) after PRK surgery, and why the duration for the prescribed usage of the drops is directly proportional to the magnitude of the pre-surgery prescription. I had -7.5 in the left eye, and I have to use Flarex for almost six months. My right eye was -6.5, and there I have to use the drops for about three months. Just wondering. Thanks, Irina Paley Steroid eye drops are commonly prescribed after Lasik, PRK, LASEK, and Epi-Lasik to mute the wound response and reduce inflammation of the cornea. The larger the pre-operative refractive error, the greater the amount of corneal tissue that must be removed to provide correction. The greater the tissue removal, the greater the wound response - including regression. The amount of steroids and the duration of their use is most likely to be determined by the type of surgery (PRK requiring more than Lasik, large correction requiring more than small corrections) and the individual patient's response. Two important facts about steroid eye drops to remember are to use them exactly as directed by the doctor without stopping or reducing them until new doctor instructions, and that long-term steroid use can cause the pressure inside the eye to become elevated. Your doctor should check this intraocular pressure (IOP) regularly. Glenn Hagele Executive Director USAEyes (R) Patient Advocacy Surgeon Certification "Consider and Choose With Confidence" (TM) Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org http://www.USAEyes.org Lasik Bulletin Board http://www.USAEyes.org/Ask-Lasik-Expert/ Mr. Hagele is not a doctor. This transmission is on behalf of the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance(TM) and is not endorsed, submitted, or representative of any other organization or entity. Copyright Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance(TM). All rights reserved. All Rights Reserved On Dec 18, 6:48 pm, Glenn Hagele - USAEyes.org <glenn.hageleSTOPS...@USAEyes.org> wrote: > Steroid eye drops are commonly prescribed after Lasik, PRK, LASEK, and > Epi-Lasik to mute the wound response and reduce inflammation of the [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > cause the pressure inside the eye to become elevated. Your doctor > should check this intraocular pressure (IOP) regularly. Thanks again for a clear explanation, Glenn. What are the problems associated with elevated IOP? I do get that checked at every appointment, but my appointments are about once a month. >What are the problems associated with elevated IOP? I do get that >checked at every appointment, but my appointments are about once a >month. Long-term elevated IOP can cause damage to the optic nerve, which can cause serious degradation in vision. Fortunately, it takes some time for this to occur and the damage is gradual. Not everyone responds to steroid use with elevated IOP. If at your one-week postop appointment you did not have an elevated IOP, it is not very likely that you will later. However, being checked every month is a good idea for as long as you are using the steroids. Short-term high IOP spikes will cause vision to go blank, such as if you press on your eyes or during Lasik when the microkeratome is affixed to the eye with suction. Even then, the probability of damage to an otherwise healthy eye is relatively low. Keep in mind that elevated IOP can occur naturally, commonly due to glaucoma, and IOP should be checked regularly. Glenn Hagele Executive Director USAEyes (R) Patient Advocacy Surgeon Certification "Consider and Choose With Confidence" (TM) Email to glenn dot hagele at usaeyes dot org http://www.USAEyes.org Lasik Bulletin Board http://www.USAEyes.org/Ask-Lasik-Expert/ Mr. Hagele is not a doctor. This transmission is on behalf of the Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance(TM) and is not endorsed, submitted, or representative of any other organization or entity. Copyright Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance(TM). All rights reserved. All Rights Reserved |
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