Prevention of ocular hypertension in patients receiving intra‐vitreal steroids

Purpose Ocular hypertension is a frequent complication associated with intra-vitreal injection of corticosteroids, in some cases it may require surgery. The present study was designed to evaluate the benefit of a preventive treatment in patients receiving intra-vitreal triamcinolone. Methods A retrospective study of 90 patients treated with intravitreal triamcinolone in one eye is reported. Injections were performed between 2007 and 2011 in the department of ophthalmology at Reims University Hospital. 77 eyes were treated with brinzolamide in the first three months after the triamcinolone injection. 13 were not treated. Brinzolamide was chosen as it has few systemic side effects and no potential pro-inflammatory action. In both groups, the measurement of the intraocular pressure was performed 7 days, 1,3,6 and 12 months after the injection. Results A total of 23 cases of ocular hypertension were encountered (25.6%), 14 in the group receiving brinzolamide treatment (18.2%) and 9 in the no treatment group (69.2 %). This difference is statistically significant (p <0.005). The peak intraocular pressure was observed 3 months after the injection in both groups. Conclusion The limited number of patients in the control group and the retrospective design of the study limits the general conclusions which can be drawn. Although there appears to be a measurable effect of brinzolamide in preventing ocular hypertension, a prospective study is necessary to confirm these preliminary findings.