Effects of topical low-dose preservative-free hydrocortisone on intraocular pressure in patients affected by ocular surface disease with and without glaucoma

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of short-term treatment for ocular surface disease (OSD) with topical low-dose (1,005 mg) preservative-free hydrocortisone in one hundred patients with and without glaucoma. This was an open label non-randomized clinical trial. Patients with OSD with and without primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) received topical low-dose (1,005 mg) preservative-free hydrocortisone twice daily in each eye for 2 weeks. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination at baseline (T0) and at 1 (T1) and 2 (T2) weeks post-treatment. At each visit, the intraocular pressure (IOP) and the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire scores were recorded; the Schirmer test was performed only at T0 and T2. The OSDI score significantly decreased in both the POAG and no-POAG groups (both p\u2009<\u20090.0001) after hydrocortisone treatment, with no difference between the two groups (p\u2009=\u20090.72). There were no significant differences in IOP and Schirmer test results between T0 and T2 in both treatment groups (p\u2009=\u20090.68 and p\u2009=\u20090.83, respectively). Topical low-dose (1,005 mg) preservative-free hydrocortisone is safe and effective for improving OSD symptoms both in patients with and without POAG. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov under NCT04536129 on 01/09/2020 (“retrospectively registered”).