General Guidance
- Corticosteroids administered locally or systemically have an important role to play in the treatment of anterior segment inflammation.
- Topical corticosteroids should usually only be used under expert supervision.
- Use in “red eye” with unconfirmed diagnosis is potentially hazardous since this may be due to herpes simplex virus infection in which case corticosteroid would aggravate the condition and could result in corneal ulceration. Bacterial, fungal and amoebic causes pose similar risks.
- Prolonged use may lead to cataract formation.
- A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory eye drop preparation may be useful if the intraocular pressure is raised.
Recommended drugs
Betamethasone
Dexamethasone
Prednisolone
Prednisolone 5mg Soluble Tablets (reintroduced on childrens wards, preferred over crushing tablets)
Diclofenac eyes drops
Drug Traffic Light Key:
Green – On Formulary
Amber – Restricted use, see local guidelines
Purple – Specialist use/initiation
Red – Non Formulary
Relative Costs Key (where indicated):
£££££ - high
£££ - moderate
£ - low