Effect of prophylactic brimonidine instillation on bleeding during strabismus surgery in adults.

PURPOSE

To investigate the effects of preoperative brimonidine-purite 0.15% instillation on intraoperative bleeding and postoperative subconjunctival hemorrhage during strabismus surgery in adult patients.

DESIGN

Randomized comparative interventional case series.

METHODS

One hundred and eighteen eyes of 90 consecutive adult patients were instilled with either a single drop of brimonidine-purite 0.15% (42 eyes), phenylephrine 1% (38 eyes), or sodium hyaluronate 0.1% (38 eyes) 15 minutes prior to strabismus surgery. Intraoperative bleeding and postoperative subconjunctival hemorrhage were graded on a scale of one to three. The scores were compared among the study groups.

RESULTS

Scores of the intraoperative bleeding and the postoperative subconjunctival hemorrhage of the treatment groups were significantly less than that of the control group (P < .001). The scores of the brimonidine group were similar to those of the phenylephrine group (intraoperative bleeding score, P = .405; subconjunctival hemorrhage score, P = .722).

CONCLUSIONS

Topical brimonidine administration before strabismus surgery may reduce intraoperative bleeding and postoperative subconjunctival hemorrhage in adult patients.