bottle," says Dr. Miller. "If somebody gets an infection and they get
investigated for that practice, it may not come down well, because
Vigamox was never intended to be injected intracamerally, even
though it's a super-common practice."
The prescribing information for Vigamox specifically states it's "for
topical ophthalmic use only and should not be injected subconjuncti-
vally or introduced directly into the anterior chamber of the eye."
7 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 9
While much of the focus on intracameral injections centers on
endophthalmitis infection prevention, some ophthalmologists also
intracamerally inject steroids during cataract surgeries to prevent
other forms of inflammation. Some do it in conjunction with
antibiotics. One of the same principles of intracameral injection
applies with steroids: removing the need for the patient to take
eyedrops after the surgery as directed, where compliance has
long been an issue.
Intracameral antibiotics still have a long road to FDA approval, but
the agency has approved intracameral steroids. Earlier this year, the
first commercial, single-dose intracameral steroid, Dexycu (dexam-
ethasone intraocular suspension) 9%, was released. The manufac-
turer says it should be administered as a single dose at the end of
cataract surgery, removing the need for a patient to place steroid
drops at a typically prescribed rate of, for example, 4 times a day for
4 weeks.
The drug's sustained-release, biodegradable delivery means it
will be present in the eye for weeks after the surgery. You can
read highlights of the drug's prescribing information at
osmag.net/nYwT8Y.
— Joe Paone
Preventing Inflammation With Intracameral Steroids
