Topical mydriatics as adjunctive therapy for traumatic iridocyclitis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Traumatic eye injuries are common in emergency departments, with blunt trauma being the most frequent cause.
• Blunt trauma often leads to traumatic iridocyclitis, a form of anterior uveitis, causing symptoms like pain, photophobia, and vision loss.
• Current treatment involves topical corticosteroids for inflammation and topical mydriatics to alleviate ciliary spasms, but the latter's efficacy is unquantified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of topical mydriatics used alongside topical corticosteroids for treating traumatic iridocyclitis.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and ICTRP.
• The search included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing topical mydriatics plus corticosteroids versus corticosteroids alone for traumatic iridocyclitis.
• Study selection and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers.

Main Results:

• No eligible randomized controlled trials were identified that met the inclusion criteria.
• There is a lack of evidence from RCTs regarding the efficacy of topical mydriatic agents as adjunctive therapy for traumatic iridocyclitis.

Conclusions:

• The current evidence base is insufficient to draw conclusions on the efficacy or safety of topical mydriatics in treating traumatic iridocyclitis.
• Further controlled trials are necessary to compare combination therapy (mydriatics and corticosteroids) with standard corticosteroid treatment alone.