Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Eye pressure drops after dog cataract surgery with dorzolamide
By Lewin, Andrew C et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2025·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Efficacy of perioperative 2% dorzolamide ophthalmic solution for reduction of postoperative ocular hypertension in dogs following routine phacoemulsification surgery: A prospective clinical trial.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 31 dogs with cataracts underwent routine eye surgery and were given either a special eye drop (2% dorzolamide) or a placebo to see if it would help prevent high eye pressure after surgery. About 53% of the dogs developed high eye pressure within 24 hours after surgery, but those that received the dorzolamide drops had a lower rate of this issue compared to those who received the placebo. Despite this, there was no significant difference in vision or the need for additional eye pressure medications later on. Most dogs were able to see well at their final check-up.
People also search for: dog cataract surgery recovery · high eye pressure treatment for dogs · dorzolamide eye drops for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of 2% dorzolamide ophthalmic solution for reduction of postoperative ocular hypertension (POH) following routine phacoemulsification surgery in dogs. ANIMALS STUDIED: Thirty one dogs (53 eyes) with naturally occurring cataracts undergoing routine phacoemulsification surgery. PROCEDURE(S): A prospective, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled study design was utilized. Dogs received 2% dorzolamide ophthalmic solution or saline 1 h prior to surgery then three times daily for 21 days postoperatively in the operated eye(s). Intraocular pressure (IOP) was recorded 1 h prior to surgery and 3 h, 7 h, 22 h, 1 week and 3 weeks postoperatively. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U test with a significance level of p < .05. RESULTS: Postoperative ocular hypertension (IOP ≥25 mmHg, <24 h after surgery) occurred in 28/53 (52.8%) eyes. There was significant reduction in the incidence of POH for eyes receiving dorzolamide (10/26 (38.4%) eyes) versus eyes receiving placebo (18/27 (66.7%) eyes) (p = .0384). Animals were followed for a median of 163 days after surgery. Thirty-seven (37/53 (69.8%)) eyes were visual at final examination and 3/53 (5.7%) globes were enucleated postoperatively. At last follow-up, there was no difference in visual status (p = .9280), need for topical IOP lowering medication (p = .8319) or incidence of glaucoma (p = .5880) based on treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative administration of topical 2% dorzolamide reduced the incidence of POH after phacoemulsification in the dogs studied. However, this was not associated with differences in visual outcome, incidence of glaucoma or need for IOP-lowering medications.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37178335/