ANALGESIC EFFECT OF TOPICAL DICLOFENAC VERSUS BETAMETHASONE AFTER POSTERIOR SEGMENT SURGERY

Background: In clinical use, topical diclofenac, a nonsteroidal antiin flammatory, was found to be remarkably effective as an analgesic. A tr ial was therefore conducted to quantify and compare this effect with t hat of other drugs commonly used after posterior segment surgery. Meth ods: A single-blind, randomized study of 37 patients undergoing poster ior segment surgery was conducted. On the day of surgery and for 30 da ys thereafter, one group received topical diclofenac 0.1% and one grou p received topical betamethasone 0.1%. Pain intensity was assessed by two standard psychologic tests, the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) an d Scott's Visual Analogic Scale (VAS). Results: The group receiving di clofenac had significantly lower pain scores on the MPQ at days 1 and 15 (P < 0.05 and P < 0.03, respectively). The VAS scores were also sta tistically lower for this group on day 15 (P < 0.03). Conclusion: Topi cal diclofenac 0.1% has greater analgesic action than topical betameth asone 0.1% without the side effects of steroids, and may be useful aft er posterior segment surgery.