The effect of moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin on long-term visual outcomes following photorefractive keratectomy

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin on visual outcomes after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS: Thirty-five PRK patients were treated postoperatively with gatifloxacin (Zymar) in one eye and moxifloxacin (Vigamox) in the fellow eye. Postoperative regimens were otherwise identical. In a previous study (initial phase), we evaluated epithelial healing. In this study (second phase), we compared uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), manifest spherical equivalent (MSE), and corneal haze at 6 months postoperatively for 32 patients using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was noted between eyes treated with Zymar and Vigamox in terms of UCVA, BSCVA, MSE, or corneal haze at 6 months postoperatively. Two (6%) Vigamox-treated eyes versus 0 (0%) Zymar-treated eyes lost one line of BSCVA from preoperative examination. Median UCVA and MSE were equivalent for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: At 6 months after PRK, there was no significant difference in visual outcomes with either antibiotic.