[Preventive Effect of Saline Eye Wash for Eye Symptoms Due to High-Dose and Intermediate-Dose Cytarabine Therapy]

Hematologic malignancies have shown improved prognosis in some diseases owing to advanced treatment. Cytarabine (Ara-C) is widely used for treatment; however, ocular symptoms frequently occur as a side effect. In this retrospective study, we investigated the preventive effect of combining corticosteroid eye drops with saline eye wash on ocular symptoms in patients receiving high-dose or intermediate-dose Ara-C therapy without concomitant radiation therapy.

Patients with hematologic malignancies who received high-dose or intermediate-dose Ara-C therapy at Fukuoka University Hospital between January 2010 and April 2020 were included in this study. The incidence of ocular symptoms was evaluated, using the Kaplan-Meier method, to compare patients with and without saline eye wash in the high-dose and intermediate-dose Ara-C groups.

The incidence of ocular symptoms was 18.4% (9/49) and 8.2% (4/49) in the high-dose and intermediate-dose groups, respectively. There was no significant difference between the saline eye wash group and the nonwash group. Ocular symptoms improved with observation or adjustment/continuation of the eye drop treatment.

In high-dose and intermediate-dose Ara-C therapy without concomitant radiation, corticosteroid eye drops alone were effective in preventing ocular symptoms, suggesting that combination with saline eye wash may not necessarily be beneficial.