Surgeon brings cataract care to underserved patients in the Caribbean

• Published in: Ophthalmology Times Vol. 45; no. 8; pp. 21 - 22
• Main Author: McCabe, Cathleen M
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Monmouth Junction MultiMedia Healthcare Inc 01.05.2020
• Subjects: Cataracts; Developing countries; Drug dosages; Eye surgery; Inflammation; LDCs; Medical personnel; Ophthalmology; Patients; Pharmaceuticals; Postoperative period; Steroids; Surgeons
• ISSN: 0193-032X; 2150-7333

Confusion can also arise because we distribute several different-looking bottles, as we are relying on whatever has been donated to us for the mission. [...]the local ophthalmologists who are caring for these patients in the postoperative period may have difficulty understanding exactly what regimen each patient is on, given the variability in what medications have been donated and distributed. Dexamethasone intraocular suspension 9% is a cohesive liquid steroid depot that is injected into the ciliary sulcus at the end of cataract surgery, where it delivers a tapering dose of dexamethasone for about three weeks.2 This approach alleviates patient adherence issues and the dosage errors that may be associated with topical steroid administration-a concern even in the best conditions-and still more challenging when we perform surgery on patients in developing countries. [...]I was able to sew the lens in a perfectly round pupil that was very stable, with no vitreous in the anterior chamber and used dexamethasone intraocular suspension 9% to help control postoperative inflammation, all in a way that I wouldn't have imagined was possible before facing this type of challenge.