The Role of Loteprednol in Reducing Post-Intravitreal Injection Related Pain

NCT ID: NCT05542381

Last Updated: 2025-09-19

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

64 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-12-22

Study Completion Date

2025-05-01

Brief Summary

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Patients are already receiving an intravitreal injection as a standard of care, but they are consenting to receiving a loteprednol drop following the intravitreal injection. This clinical trial is studying the role of loteprednol (corticosteroid) in reducing pain following intravitreal injections for patients with age-related macular degeneration. As of now, there is no definitive pain management technique following intravitreal injections. Loteprednol is a corticosteroid widely used in ophthalmology to treat pain and inflammation, however, it has not been studied as a treatment for pain following intravitreal injections. Our overall goal is to manage pain to improve quality of care after intravitreal injections. Participants will be given either loteprednol, or artificial tears following one visit for an intravitreal injection to test how effective loteprednol is in pain reduction. Pain levels will be assessed by asking participants over the phone about their pain from a scale of 0 to 10 at three different times over a 1-week period. Artificial tear and medication usage will also be tracked over a 1-week period.

Detailed Description

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Patients are already receiving an intravitreal injection as a standard of care for age-related macular degeneration, but they are consenting to receiving a loteprednol drop following the intravitreal injection for the research study. Loteprednol is used as a part of regular medical care at the Vistar Eye Center following intravitreal injections but quantifying the magnitude of pain reduction has not been done yet. Additionally, as of now there is no definitive pain management technique following intravitreal injections. This clinical trial is studying the role of loteprednol (corticosteroid) in reducing pain following intravitreal injections for patients with age-related macular degeneration. Participants will be treated with either loteprednol, or artificial tears following one visit for an intravitreal injection at the Vistar Eye Center to test how effective loteprednol is in pain reduction. Pain levels will be assessed by asking participants over the phone about their pain from a scale of 0 to 10 at 2-hours, 1-day, and 1-week following the intravitreal injection. Intravitreal injections will be performed by the retina surgeon, and phone calls will be done with the research coordinator. Artificial tear and medication usage will also be tracked over a 1-week period.

Conditions

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Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Double-blinded placebo-controlled design
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Investigators Outcome Assessors
The study design is a double-blinded placebo-controlled experiment, as the patient and the investigator recording the pain scores will not know which treatment arm the patient is assigned to (negative control or experimental group).

Study Groups

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Loteprednol

1 drop of Loteprednol is administered immediately after the intravitreal injection in this treatment arm.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Loteprednol Etabonate Ophthalmic Gel [Lotemax]

Intervention Type DRUG

Loteprednol (ophthalmic corticosteroid) will be stored in the clinic according to the instructions on the package. The vial will be stored upright between 15°-25°C (59°-77°F). In the clinic, the vial will be opened by the retina surgeon according to sterile procedure and administered (1 drop) by the surgeon immediately after the intravitreal injection.

Artificial tears

1 drop of artificial tears is administered immediately after the intravitreal injection in this treatment arm. This arm acts as a negative control.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Refresh Lubricant Eye Drops [Artificial Tears]

Intervention Type OTHER

REFRESH® Brand Lubricant Eye Drops are artificial tears. In the clinic, the vial will be opened by the retina surgeon according to sterile procedure and administered (1 drop) by the surgeon immediately after the intravitreal injection.

Interventions

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Loteprednol Etabonate Ophthalmic Gel [Lotemax]

Loteprednol (ophthalmic corticosteroid) will be stored in the clinic according to the instructions on the package. The vial will be stored upright between 15°-25°C (59°-77°F). In the clinic, the vial will be opened by the retina surgeon according to sterile procedure and administered (1 drop) by the surgeon immediately after the intravitreal injection.

Intervention Type DRUG

Refresh Lubricant Eye Drops [Artificial Tears]

REFRESH® Brand Lubricant Eye Drops are artificial tears. In the clinic, the vial will be opened by the retina surgeon according to sterile procedure and administered (1 drop) by the surgeon immediately after the intravitreal injection.

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

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Refresh

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* All patients must have age-related macular degeneration and be undergoing intravitreal injections for treatment as defined by a retina specialist.

Exclusion Criteria

* Dementia
* Report baseline eye pain
* Use topical NSAIDs or steroids
* Patient under 18 years old
* History of corticosteroid responsive elevation in intraocular pressure
* Allergy to Loteprednol or Nepafenac
* Pre-existing chronic pain disorders
* Advanced Glaucoma
* Herpes zoster
* Allergy to local anesthetic or penicillin
* Patients unable to consent on own behalf
* Patients unable to communicate pain
* Pregnancy
* Incarceration
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Vistar Eye Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Vishak John

Retina Surgeon

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Vishak John, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Vistar Eye Center

Romulo Albuquerque, M.D., Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Vistar Eye Center

Locations

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Vistar Eye Center

Roanoke, Virginia, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Related Links

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Other Identifiers

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22-514

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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