Purpose of review: Advances in pharmacology offer freedom from topical medical therapy without compromise of anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial coverage in the perioperative period. In this review, we describe the basis for dropless cataract surgery with the goal of improving outcomes and the patient experience.
Recent findings: Phacoemulsification outcomes depend largely on surgeon skill but also on adherence to a complex multidrug regimen of perioperative anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial therapy to prevent sight-threatening complications such as cystoid macular edema or endophthalmitis. Successful administration of this regimen can be limited by noncompliance, difficulty administering eye drops, bioavailability, and side effects, among others. The recent development of sustained-release formulations of dexamethasone - one an intracanalicular insert and the other an intraocular suspension - can provide sustained tapering doses of dexamethasone while reducing or eliminating the need for anti-inflammatory eye drop therapy. Similarly, mounting evidence compellingly demonstrates that intracameral antibiotic use intraoperatively is at least as effective as topical antibiotics in preventing endophthalmitis.
Summary: Sustained-release dexamethasone coupled with intracameral antibiotics at the time of phacoemulsification can provide antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory prophylaxis without the need for topical eye drop medications. This approach has the potential to improve compliance with therapy, visual acuity outcomes, and the overall patient experience.