Randomized Controlled Study of Cooled vs Room-Temperature Artificial Tears for Reducing Ocular Surface Irritation After Intravitreal Injection

• Published in: Journal of vitreoretinal diseases (Print) Vol. 7; no. 4; pp. 310 - 315
• Main Authors: Mani, Smrithi, Jin, Haoxing D., Shonka, Bryce, Fortenbach, Christopher R., Russell, Jonathan F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.07.2023
• Subjects: Original Manuscripts; ocular discomfort; intravitreal injection; randomized controlled study; surface irritation; cooled tears
• ISSN: 2474-1264; 2474-1272
• DOI: 10.1177/24741264231175555

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of cooled vs room-temperature artificial tears in reducing ocular discomfort after intravitreal injections (IVIs). Methods: Patients receiving a standard intravitreal injection in the retina clinic who met the eligibility criteria and provided informed consented were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomized to the cooled tears or room-temperature tears intervention group. Both groups rated their ocular discomfort following IVI after cooled or room-temperature tears were administered. Results: The cooled group comprised 48 patients and the room-temperature group, 61 patients. There was no significant difference in the reduction of ocular discomfort between the cooled vs room-temperature artificial tears groups (P = .387). In addition, there was a similar level of reduction in ocular discomfort after either intervention (P = .681) regardless of whether or not the patients routinely used artificial tears after previous IVIs. Conclusions: Cooled tears provided no additional benefit in reducing ocular discomfort post-IVI compared with room-temperature tears. Baseline tear use after an IVI may have no true benefit other than a potential placebo effect, recall bias, or both.