An evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect of flurbiprofen after cataract extraction.

Thirty-eight patients requiring cataract extraction were randomly assigned to receive either flurbiprofen 100 mg twice daily in addition to routine postoperative therapy or the routine therapy alone. The trial was single blind with clinical assessments at postoperative days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28. All measures of inflammatory response were significantly less in the group of patients receiving flurbiprofen, and in most cases the clinician's assessment as to which group each patient belonged to was correct. This trial suggests that flurbiprofen reduces inflammatory response in the eye in the first few days following cataract extraction and may therefore reduce the risk of severe and potentially disastrous reactions which sometimes occur.