Comparison of once daily dose of 0.3% nepafenac alone and three times dose of 0.1% nepafenac alone in pain and inflammation control after phacoemulsification

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of a once-daily dose of 0.3% nepafenac and three times daily dose of 0.1% nepafenac in controlling pain and inflammation following phacoemulsification. METHODS: In this prospective randomized control single-blind study. patients who underwent uneventful phacoemulsification were divided into two groups. Group A received 0.1% nepafenac eye drops three times/day for 4 weeks and group B received 0.3% nepafenac eye drops once daily for 4 weeks following phacoemulsification. All the patients received moxifloxacin 0.5% eye drops four times/day for 2 weeks. None of the patients in any group received any form of corticosteroids. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients in group A was 63.55 ± 8.5 years, while in group B, it was 60.05 ± 7.76 years. There was no significant result in the preoperative baseline demographics and intraoperative parameters between both the groups. The results were statistically insignificant in terms of inflammatory markers between both groups on day 1. But, on day 7, group B showed better results in terms of lid edema, conjunctival congestion, and anterior chamber cells. The patients in group B also perceived significantly less pain on day 1 (P = 0.02) and day 7 (P < 0.001). The central macular thickness was also significantly lower in group B at day 30 (P < .001) and day 90 (P < .001), respectively. CONCLUSION: Once-daily dose of higher concentrated nepafenac (0.3%) is equally effective and shows better results than 0.1% nepafenac for pain and inflammation control.