Cataract Surgery Eye Drops

Question: I have a question about cataract surgery eye drops. When my 93 year old dad had cataract surgery a few years ago, he had only one drop he used before surgery and two after. My doctor has prescribed three to start two days before surgery-Nevanac, Vigamox and Durezol. I am very wary of the Durezol after reading the FDA report. Why is my doctor giving me so many drops and why the Durezol.


Answer: Your Cataract Surgeon has prescribed what would be considered a very safe and reliable set of preoperative medications for your Cataract Surgery. The eye drop regimen for Cataract Surgery has become more universal relying on a quinolone antibiotic drop (Vigamox) for prevention of infection-this is most often started days before surgery, an NSAID (Nevanac) to help with the maintenance of pupil dilation for surgery but more importantly prevent the possible condition of Cystoid Macular Edema- this too is often started before surgery, and a steroid that is straightforward in its action against post-op inflammation. Some eye surgeons start this before and some wait until after the surgery to begin the drop. Durezol is the new drop of choice to represent the steroid in the "recipe". It's very effective in quickly restoring the eye to quiet, can be dosed at a lesser frequency-3 times per day as opposed to the tradition of 4 timed per day with other steroids and the number of days that the patient requires drops is far less with Durezol-and it has a synergistic effect enhancing the NSAID effectiveness. So the protocol your doctor has prescribed represents the current standard of care in order to reduce the incidence of prolonged inflammation, infection and possibility of retinal swelling.

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