Rho-Kinase Inhibitor-A Molecule for Pharmacological Treatment of Decompensated Corneas: Case Series.
Corneal thickness decreased notably after 3 months of topical ROCK inhibitor drops for nonhealing corneal edema
Rho-Kinase Inhibitor-A Molecule for Pharmacological Treatment of Decompensated Corneas: Case Series.
The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in central corneal thickness (central corneal thickness), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and treatment-related adverse events in eyes with corneal edema of different etiologies treated with fixed-combination drops of netarsudil 0.02%/latanoprost 0.005%, Roclanda ® .
In this prospective, uncontrolled, exploratory case series, we investigated the effects of topical ROCK inhibition on corneal endothelial cell function in 13 eyes of 11 patients with persistent, nonhealing corneal edema following intraocular procedures.
corneal swelling eased, with corneas measuring thinner after three months of treatment
Complete resolution of corneal edema was achieved in 38% of eyes.
Mean BCVA improved from 0.744 before treatment to 0.518 logMAR at 3 months ( p = 0.0026), with 46.2% of eyes gaining two or more Snellen lines.
The analysis including only one eye per patient showed similar results, with statistically significant reductions in central corneal thickness at both 1 and 3 months and a significant improvement in BCVA at 3 months after the exclusion of the second eye in bilaterally included patients.
In this prospective, exploratory case series of patients with nonhealing corneal edema, 3 months of a fixed-dose netarsudil 0.02%/latanoprost 0.005% treatment resulted in significant reduction in central corneal thickness, as well as clinically important improvement in BCVA.
These exploratory findings cannot explain the mechanism of action, but suggest a potential therapeutic role for ROCK inhibitors in eyes with nonhealing corneal edema and possibly residual endothelial reserve.