Purpose: To assess the corneal epithelial function after prolonged topical administration of diclofenac 0.1% and flurbiprofen 0.03% single-dose eyedrops.
Setting: University Eye Clinic of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Methods: This randomized prospective study comprised 24 patients scheduled for phacoemulsification. The patients were randomly assigned to receive diclofenac or flurbiprofen eyedrops for 2 months after surgery. Corneal epithelial permeability was determined by fluorophotometry 7, 37, and 67 days after surgery.
Results: An increase in corneal epithelial permeability was observed in the diclofenac group 37 and 67 days after surgery. No epithelial function alterations occurred in the flurbiprofen group.
Conclusions: Subclinical impairment of the epithelial function was observed during topical treatment with diclofenac 0.1% single-dose eyedrops after phacoemulsification. The mechanism responsible for this effect remains unknown.