Effect of topical steroid instillation on central corneal thickness in eyes with bullous keratopathy

Purpose To examine the effects of topical steroid instillation on central corneal thickness in eyes with bullous keratopathy (BK). Study design Retrospective case series Methods Consecutive patients with BK who did not wish to receive corneal transplantation and were treated with 0.1% betamethasone eyedrops were included. Patients with BK treated with 5% sodium chloride (hypertonic saline) eyedrops served as controls. Central corneal thickness (CCT), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), BK etiology, and clinical courses from medical records were retrospectively reviewed. We compared the two groups for differences in CCT, BCVA and IOP before treatment and 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months after treatment. Results Eighteen eyes of 18 patients who were treated with betamethasone and 18 eyes of 18 patients who were treated with hypertonic saline were included. There was no significant difference in CCT between the two groups before treatment. The reduction of CCT in the betamethasone group was significantly larger than in the hypertonic saline group at 2 weeks (p = 0.002), 1 month (p = 0.02), and 3 months (p = 0.001) after treatment. Complications such as infectious keratitis and IOP rise did not occur during the observation period. Conclusions Topical steroid instillation reduced central corneal thickness in eyes with BK.