Quantitative assessment of postsurgical breakdown of the blood-aqueous barrier following administration of 0.5% ketorolac tromethamine solution. A double-masked, paired comparison with vehicle-placebo solution study.

Preoperative and serial postoperative anterior chamber fluorophotometry were performed after oral administration of fluorescein sodium in patients undergoing extracapsular cataract extraction and posterior chamber intraocular lens insertion. The administration of topical 0.5% ketorolac tromethamine solution before and after surgery markedly decreased the breakdown of the blood-aqueous barrier compared with vehicle-placebo solution administration at each time period, as measured by fluorophotometry. Corticosteroids were not given to any patients throughout the duration of the study. These fluorophotometric results correlated well with slit-lamp observations of postoperative ocular inflammation. Both ketorolac and vehicle were well tolerated by patients. No effects on intraocular pressure were seen with ketorolac administration. This study suggests that ketorolac ophthalmic solution is effective and safe as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent for topical use following cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation.