Purpose: To evaluate if a single drop of nepafenac can reduce the ocular discomfort after intravitreal injections compared with placebo.
Methods: One hundred and twenty patients undergoing intravitreal injections of bevacizumab or ranibizumab received a drop of nepafenac or placebo (Systane Ultra) after the injection in a prospective, double-masked, randomized controlled design. Patients rated their pain levels from 0 to 3 (no pain, mild pain, moderate pain, severe pain) at 1 hour, 6 hours, and 24 hours after the procedure.
Results: Statistically significant reduction of postinjection pain with nepafenac was noted 6 hours after the injection when compared with placebo (0.8 ± 0.6 [standard deviation] vs. 1.3 ± 0.8, P < 0.001) with similar trends at 1 hour (1.1 ± 0.7 vs. 1.3 ± 0.7, P = 0.12) and 24 hours (0.3 ± 0.5 vs. 0.5 ± 0.6, P = 0.15).
Conclusion: A single drop of nepafenac is effective in reducing discomfort after intravitreal injections.