The Impact of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Agents after Phacoemulsification on Quality of Life: A Randomized Study

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of our study was to investigate the impact of ketorolac addition to the well-established combination of antibiotic-steroid agent in terms of vision-related quality of life. METHODS: Patients were randomized to: (1) fixed combination of tobramycin 0.3%–dexamethasone 0.1%, one drop qid (n = 68) and (2) fixed combination of tobramycin 0.3%–dexamethasone 0.1%, one drop qid, plus ketorolac tromethamine 0.5%, one drop tid (n = 70). All patients completed the VFQ-25 questionnaire to assess their functional vision before cataract surgery and postoperatively on days 7, 28 and 42. The statistical analysis comprised the point-wise comparison between the two groups at the four time points for all sub-scales of the VFQ-25 questionnaire, as well as the composite score. RESULTS: No significant differences were noted regarding the composite score, as well as all subscales in all examined time points. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of ketorolac did not seem to offer any additional benefit in terms of vision-related quality of life.