Clinical studies with a new steroid--fluorometholone

Thirty-four cases of uveitis, 26 anterior and 8 posterior, showed elevated intraocular pressure in 25 cases during treatment with local steroids as well as systemic steroids. The patients were treated with drugs to reduce the IOP, but this was not accomplished until the local steroids were stopped. Then a good anti-inflammatory response was obtained with fluorometholone, without further increase of the IOP during the whole treatment. Two cases of episcleritis and one case of allergic conjunctivitis that responded very well to local steroids but showed an increase of the intraocular pressure were treated with fluorometholone. The same anti-inflammatory response was obtained without any increase of the IOP. In our small series, a new steroid has been reviewed. No double-blind studies were done, and the series was not well controlled. But this preliminary result shows that fluorometholone can control inflammation in cases of uveitis, episcleritis, and allergic conjunctivitis as well as other steroids, but without increase of the IOP.