INCIDENCE OF STEROID-INDUCED OCULAR HYPERTENSION AFTER VITREORETINAL SURGERY WITH DIFLUPREDNATE VERSUS PREDNISOLONE ACETATE

Purpose:To identify changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) after vitreoretinal surgical procedures in eyes that received either difluprednate ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% (DP) or prednisolone acetate ophthalmic suspension 1% (PA).Methods:A retrospective chart review compared a consecutive series of 100 patients who received DP with 100 patients who received PA after vitreoretinal surgery. Data were collected for a 3-month period from the time of surgery.Results:A significantly higher number of patients treated with DP (35%, n = 35) developed increased IOP (>21 mmHg with a change from baseline of >10 mmHg) compared with those receiving PA (22%, n = 22) (P = 0.042). The mean maximum IOP in the DP cohort (26.7 mmHg) was significantly higher than that in the PA cohort (22.8 mmHg) (P = 0.0027). Additionally, the rise in IOP from baseline was significantly higher in the DP-treated cohort (9.0 mmHg) than that in the PA-treated cohort (6.0 mmHg) (P = 0.027).Conclusion:Eyes treated with DP after vitreoretinal surgery were at increased risk for developing clinically significant increases in IOP compared with those receiving PA.