Symptomatic Treatment of Subepithelial Infiltrates after Viral Conjunctivitis: Loteprednol or Dexamethasone?

PURPOSE: To compare the efficiency and ocular side-effect profile of topical loteprednol applied to one eye and topical dexamethasone applied to the other eye in the early period on the same patient who has subepithelial infiltrates (SEI).

METHODS

The patients who developed bilateral SEI following epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) were applied topical loteprednol on one eye (group 2) and topical dexamethasone on the other (group 1).

RESULTS

Decrease in the symptoms was faster in the dexamethasone group, but this difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.073). Both groups were found to have substantial recurrence. However, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.131).

CONCLUSIONS

The study has found that in the treatment of SEI, which developed after EKC, statistically similar results can be obtained with loteprednol, which is known to have fewer adverse effects.