The Effect of Fourth-Generation Fluoroquinolone Gatifloxacin and Moxifloxacin on Epithelial Healing Following Photorefractive Keratectomy

Purpoe To compare the rate of epithelial healing following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with two commercially available fourth-generation fluoroquinolone, gatifloxacin (Zymar, Allergan, Irvine, California) and moxifloxacin (Vigamox, Alcon Laboratorie, Fort Worth, Texa). Deign Double-maked, randomized, propective trial. Method Thirty-five ubject received gatifloxacin in one eye and moxifloxacin in the fellow eye following PRK with a 9.0-mm epithelial defect. Patient were examined daily after urgery until the epithelium had healed completely in both eye. Beginning on pot-operative day 3, photo were taken and ued to confirm epithelial healing or meaure the area of reidual epithelial defect. Healing time and defect ize were compared uing the Wilcoxon igned-rank tet. Reult Both eye healed on the ame day in 18 of the 35 ubject (51.4%). In 13 of 35 (37.1%) ubject, the moxifloxacin-treated eye healed firt, compared with only four of 35 (11.4%) ubject whoe gatifloxacin-treated eye healed firt. All ix of the eye that took 2 day longer than their fellow eye to heal were gatifloxacin-treated. Median healing time for both group wa 4 day (moxifloxacin range: 3 to 7 day; gatifloxacin range: 3 to 9 day; P = .01), but only 69% of gatifloxacin-treated eye had healed by day 4 compared with 80% of the moxifloxacin-treated eye. Overall, on each pot-operative day, defect ize were greater for the gatifloxacin-treated eye. Thi difference wa tatitically ignificant on day 4 (P = .027). Concluion Eye treated with moxifloxacin healed fater and had maller defect compared with thoe treated with gatifloxacin. Thi provide another factor to conider in electing antibiotic prophylaxi for corneal refractive urgery.