Incidence of and Risk Factors for Steroid Response After Cataract Surgery in Patients With and Without Glaucoma

Precis: Steroid response after cataract surgery was more frequent in glaucoma patients than nonglaucoma patients. Longer axial length and more preoperative medications were risk factors for steroid response in glaucoma patients.

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate incidence and risk factors for topical steroid response after uneventful cataract surgery in patients with and without glaucoma.

Setting: Academic glaucoma clinics.

Design: This was a retrospective review.

Participants: Consecutive patients with and without glaucoma and no prior incisional glaucoma surgery undergoing cataract surgery between March 2007 and September 2016. All patients routinely received topical prednisolone acetate 1% postoperatively.

Methods: Pertinent clinical information was recorded. Steroid response was defined as intraocular pressure >50% above the baseline intraocular pressure measurement, occurring at or after the second postoperative week.

Results: We included 472 eyes of 472 nonglaucoma patients and 191 eyes of 191 glaucoma patients. Ten (2.1%) nonglaucoma eyes and 16 (8.4%) glaucoma eyes were diagnosed as steroid responders (relative risk=3.72; 95% confidence interval: 1.71-8.07; P<0.001). Logistic regression showed that for nonglaucoma, longer axial length (AL) and younger age were associated with a higher incidence of steroid response (P≤0.003), while for glaucoma patients, longer AL and more preoperative medications were associated with steroid response (P≤0.030). An AL ≥26 mm was associated with steroid response for both groups (P≤0.024).

Conclusion: Although glaucoma patients were 3.72 times more likely to have steroid response after uneventful cataract surgery, the incidence of steroid response with prednisolone acetate 1% was relatively low after phacoemulsification in both nonglaucoma and glaucoma eyes. Steroid response was associated with longer AL in both groups and with more preoperative medications in glaucoma patients.