Indomethacin as a means of preventing cystoid macular edema following intracapsular cataract extraction.

It has been theorized that prostaglandins E1 and E2 may be responsible for the vascular leakage leading to cystoid macular edema following cataract extraction. Indomethacin is a known inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis. A prospective, double-blind study to evaluate the effect of oral indomethacin on four and eight week cases of postoperative CME following intracapsular cataract extraction as determined by fluorescein angiography was carried out on 42 patients. Twenty patients received 25 mg of indomethacin three times a day for three days preoperatively and three weeks postoperatively. Twenty-two patients received a placebo on an identical schedule. Four (20%) patients in the indomethacin group and five (22.7%) patients in the placebo group had positive angiograms for CME. No contributory factor resulting in CME was found.