Effects of topical low-dose preservative-free hydrocortisone on intraocular pressure in patients affected by ocular surface disease with and without glaucoma

Purpose Thisstudyaimstoinvestigatethesafetyandefficacyofshort-termtreatmentforocularsurfacedisease(OSD)with topical low-dose (1,005 mg) preservative-free hydrocortisone in one hundred patients with and without glaucoma. Methods This was an open label non-randomized clinical trial. Patients with OSD with and without primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) received topical low-dose (1,005 mg) preservative-free hydrocortisone twice daily in each eye for 2 weeks. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination at baseline (T0) and at 1 (T1) and 2 (T2) weeks post- treatment. At each visit, the intraocular pressure (IOP) and the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire scores were recorded; the Schirmer test was performed only at T0 and T2. Results The OSDI score significantly decreased in both the POAG and no-POAG groups (both p < 0.0001) after hydrocor- tisone treatment, with no difference between the two groups (p = 0.72). There were no significant differences in IOP and Schirmer test results between T0 and T2 in both treatment groups (p = 0.68 and p = 0.83, respectively). Conclusions Topical low-dose (1,005 mg) preservative-free hydrocortisone is safe and effective for improving OSD symp- toms both in patients with and without POAG.