EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
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EW REFRACTIVE SURGERY 56 May 2015 that using a nonsteroidal drop and a topical anesthetic together was not a good idea for the epithelium, and I was surprised [in the study] by how often they are used together." She hopes the study will help highlight the realization that because of over- lapping side effects, use of topical NSAIDs and anesthetics together is to be avoided. Clinical effect From a clinical perspective, Dr. Faktorovich was encouraged to see how well the medications fared, with all classes showing effective- ness. This should alleviate some practitioner concerns, she thinks. "If, for example, a patient doesn't have particular coverage for a topical nonsteroidal and you can only dispense the 10 drops of dilute tetracaine from the office to manage their pain, that's OK. They're likely to do well with that," Dr. Faktorovich said. The same is true for drugs with- in the same class, she said. "There were a couple of things that were a little more effective, the nepafenac and the tetracaine, but everything is effective," she said, adding that if a patient does not have coverage for one NSAID, prescribing another that is covered should provide similar relief. "I think it's going to make the process of drug selection less stress- ful on the doctor," she said. Overall, Dr. Faktorovich thinks that it is important to look at cumu- lative data from many studies when determining whether a particular treatment regimen is going to work or not. "Especially when it comes to pain—which can have a large subjective component—a particular protocol that works in one setting may not necessarily work in anoth- er," she said. Analyzing all of the data, a more scientific approach, is more useful than relying on person- al experience alone, she said. "When we start dealing with symptoms that have a large subjec- tive component, looking at all of the published data to guide your own personal treatment for your patients is better than individual experi- ence," Dr. Faktorovich said. EW Editors' note: Dr. Faktorovich has no financial interests related to this article. Contact information Faktorovich: ella@pacificvision.or Gaining perspective continued from page 55 Register Now! Be Part of the Excitement: February 5-9 in Guadalajara, Mexico • Attend hundreds of scientific sessions led by internationally- renowned experts. • Network with ophthalmologists from over 120 countries. • Visit more than 100 exhibiting companies displaying the very latest products and services in ophthalmology. • See Guadalajara, a cultural center of Mexico, known for its beauty and history. /attendwoc /attendwoc Reserve your place today: woc2016.org World Ophthalmology Congress ® of the International Council of Ophthalmology Host: Mexican Society of Ophthalmology Co-host: Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology Abstract Submission Deadline is June 1 Registration Rates Increase after July 31 " When we start dealing with symptoms that have a large subjective component, looking at all of the published data to guide your own personal treatment for your patients is better than individual experience. " –Ella G. Faktorovich, MD