Pregabalin versus placebo in postoperative pain relief of patients' status post photorefractive keratectomy: a double-masked, randomized, prospective study.

Purpose: Gabapentinoids are currently being used anecdotally for postoperative pain following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) despite the lack of evidence. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of pregabalin in mitigating pain after PRK compared to the standard of care.

Methods: One hundred thirty-five patients scheduled for PRK at the Joint Warfighter Refractive Surgery Center in San Antonio, Texas were randomized to receive either oral pregabalin 75 mg twice daily for 5 days or placebo, in addition to the standard pain care regimen.