THE EFFECT OF BRIMONIDINE IN EARLY POSTOPERATIVE HYERTONY FOLLOWING PHACOEMULCIFICATION
Kandarakis A., Bartsi E., Tomais G., Voutsinas P., Vrionis G., Lenas A. and Orfanidis T.

Polikliniki Eye Hospital, Athens, Greece

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of Brimonidine in early postoperative

hypertony after phacoemulcification.

Methods: Forty-eight normal eyes, with cataract and IOP < 21mmHg, from 48 patients participated in that prospective study. Following surgery all patients were randomly divided in two groups A and B, with 27 and 21 patients espectively. At the end of surgery, 1 drop of Brimonidine 0.2% was instilled in all patients of group A, and 1 drop of BSS was instilled in all patients of group B.IOP was measured at 6th and 18th hours postoperatively.
Results: The mean preoperative IOP was 13.68(± 2.32) mmHg in-group A and 14.38(± 3.32) mmHg in-group B (p=0.42). The mean postoperative IOP at 6th hour was 19.35(± 6.34) mmHg in group A and 24.31(± 7.47) mmHg in group B (p=0.019), while at 18th hour was 15.31(± 4.83) mmHg in group A and 15.9(± 5.82) mmHg in group B (p=0.71). IOP>21mmHg at 6th and 18th postoperative hour was found in 14.8% and 11.11% in group A, as well as 66.66% and 19.0% in group B respectively.
Conclusions: Brimonidine reduces significantly hypertony at 6th postoperative hour. There is also a very significant difference between the number of patients who developed IOP>21mmHg in the two groups at 6th postoperative hour (p<0.0001).