The aim of this study is to compare the effects of pre-operative doses of betamethasone acetate 0.1% and placebo on controlling dry eye after cataract surgery.

In this randomized clinical trial, double blind study, 62 patients being candidate for cataract surgery were randomly divided into two groups of 31 patients. From 3 days before the date of operation, drops A or B were administered 4 times a day. These drops contained either betamethasone 0.1% or normal saline (placebo). Postoperative follow up was performed on 1, 7 and 30 days after surgery. Dry eyes symptoms were evaluated by the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire and using the Meniscometry test. Analyzing repeated measures were used in order to study the interaction between betamethasone and time on Meniscometry and OSDI eye variables.

Sixty-two patients were studied in this study with a mean age of 69.19 ± 12.80 including 51.6% female and 48.4% male. The results of the analysis of variance of the repeated measures plot indicated that The OSDI and Meniscometry dry eye variables are not affected by the interaction between time and betamethasone.(p = 0.192), (p = 0.578).

: The use of betamethasone acetate 0.1% prior to cataract surgery has no significant effect on postoperative dry eye indices.