Early Real-World Patient and Staff Experience with an Intracanalicular Dexamethasone Insert

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Ophthalmic Surgery
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Cataract surgery is a common procedure requiring postoperative anti-inflammatory treatment.
• Topical steroid eye drops are the standard for postoperative inflammation management but present adherence challenges.
• The dexamethasone ophthalmic insert (DEX) offers an alternative drug delivery method for post-cataract surgery care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate real-world patient and practice staff experiences with the dexamethasone ophthalmic insert (DEX) after cataract surgery.
• To assess the integration of DEX compared to traditional eye drops within clinical practice.
• To determine patient satisfaction and preference for DEX over topical steroids.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey study was conducted across 23 US cataract practices.
• Online surveys were administered to patients and practice staff with experience using DEX post-cataract surgery.
• Descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey responses.

Main Results:

• High patient satisfaction (93%) and preference for DEX over topical steroid drops (93% vs 7%) were reported.
• Practice staff reported high satisfaction (95%) with DEX.
• DEX use was associated with a 45% reduction in patient education time and a 46% decrease in pharmacy-related calls.

Conclusions:

• The dexamethasone ophthalmic insert (DEX) enhances patient adherence in post-cataract surgery care.
• Integrating DEX into practice can lead to significant time and resource savings for practices.
• DEX represents a valuable alternative to topical steroid eye drops for managing postoperative inflammation.