Artificial tears alone versus 0.45% ketorolac tromethamine with artificial tears for the treatment of acute viral conjunctivitis

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of preservativefree 0.45% ketorolac tromethamine and artificial tears (carboxymethylcellulose) compared with those of preservativefree artificial tears alone on the symptoms and signs of acute viral conjunctivitis. Methods: This was a randomized, doublemasked clin...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Adriana Falcão Veloso Lyra, Lílian Correia Bastos, Raquel Coelho de Souza Lima, Lúcio de Vieira Leite Maranhão, Tiago Eugênio Arantes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Conselho Brasileiro de Oftalmologia 2014-04-01
Series:Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-27492014000200099&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Summary:Purpose: To evaluate the effects of preservativefree 0.45% ketorolac tromethamine and artificial tears (carboxymethylcellulose) compared with those of preservativefree artificial tears alone on the symptoms and signs of acute viral conjunctivitis. Methods: This was a randomized, doublemasked clinical trial that included 50 patients who were diagnosed with acute viral conjunctivitis and distributed into two groups (Group 0: artificial tears and Group 1: 0.45% ketorolac tromethamine + carboxymethylcellulose). The patients were instructed to use the medication 4 times daily. Signs (conjunctival hyperemia, chemosis, follicles, and secretion) and symptoms (general ocular discomfort, itching, foreign body sensation, tearing, redness, and swelling of the eyelids) were scored at baseline and on the third and seventh days of treatment using a standardized questionnaire and slitlamp anterior segment examination. Results: Both groups showed an improvement in the signs and symptoms of conjunctivitis in their follow-up visits. There was no significant difference in symptom and sign scores between Group 0 and Group 1 in the study visits (p>0.05). The frequency of side effects during treatment was similar between groups (p>0.05). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that 0.45% ketorolac tromethamine was not superior to the use of artificial tears in relieving the signs and symptoms of viral conjunctivitis.
ISSN:1678-2925