Comparison of the effect of cycloplegic versus NSAID eye drops on pain after photorefractive keratectomy

To compare the effect of Homatropine and Diclofenac eye drops for reducing pain after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).
This randomized, double-masked, interventional study included 32 patients (64 eyes) who underwent bilateral PRK. After operation, patients received Homatropine eye drops in one eye and Diclofenac eye drops in the fellow eye for 48 h. The level of pain was evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS), verbal rating scale (VRS), and pain rating index (PRI) at 0.5, 24, and 48 h after operation.
The level of pain was statistically similar between the two eyes half an hour after operation; however, Diclofenac eyes had significantly less pain 24 h after operation (1.7 ± 1.4 vs 5.8 ± 2.1, P The effect of Homatropine seems to be lower compared to Diclofenac for reducing pain after photorefractive keratectomy.