Are topical steroids essential after an uneventful cataract surgery?

PURPOSE: To access the necessity of topical steroids after uneventful cataract surgery, phaco-emulsification/aspiration plus intraocular lens (PEA+IOL) implantation. DESIGN: Single-blind, randomized, prospective study. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-one patients were prospectively randomized, 11 patients were assigned to the steroid group, and 10 to the non-steroid group. METHODS: Between March and September 2007, in Mino Tanaka Hospital in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, we performed PEA+IOL in 28 eyes of 21 patients and examined the visual acuity, corneal endothelium cell density, and anterior aqueous flare value after dividing all the patients into 2 groups, the topical steroid use and the non-steroid group. RESULTS: At 1 month postoperatively, no difference was observed between the 2 groups in terms of the outcomes described, and no cystoid macular edema was detected. CONCLUSION: Topical steroid medication may not be absolutely essential after uneventful PEA+IOL.