The Effectiveness and Safety of Dextenza 0.4 mg for the Treatment of Postoperative Inflammation and Pain in Patients After Photorefractive Keratectomy: The RESTORE Trial

PURPOSE: To determine patient preference and treatment outcomes with an intracanaticular dexamethasone 0.4 mg insert compared to a standard steroid drop regimen in the contrataterat eye following bilateral photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS: In this randomized, prospective, self-controlled, open-label interventional study, one eye received the dexamethasone insert and the second eye received prednisotone acetate 1% taper following bilateral PRK surgery. Postoperative evaluations were performed on day 3, day 4, month 1, and month 3. Phone call surveys were performed on week 2. The Comparison of Ophthalmic Medications for Tolerability questionnaire was used to determine patient preference between postoperative regimens and postoperative pain. Corneal endpoints included time to epithelialization, presence of corneal haze, sodium fluorescein staining, and modified Standardized Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) scores. Both cor rected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVAI were assessed. RESULTS: Twenty patients participated in the study. At month 3, 70% of patients preferred the dexamethasone insert, 20% preferred prednisotone acetate, and 10% expressed no preference. Patient surveys did not show a difference in postoperative pain between the study group and control group. No statistical difference was shown in time to epitheliatization, 90-day CDVA or UDVA, postoperative corneal haze, corneal. staining, or modified SPEED scores. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing PRK, there was preference toward a dexamethasone insert in place of topical prednisotone acetate for the postoperative steroid treatment. There were no statistically or clinically significant differences between the two cohorts in regard to healing time or visual outcomes.