The effects of topical ketorolac and indomethacin on measles conjunctivitis: randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To compare the effect of topical ketorolac and indomethacin on measles conjunctivitis.

Design: Prospective double-masked placebo-controlled randomized trial.

Methods: Sixty-two patients with severe measles conjunctivitis were included in this study. All patients were hospitalized and randomly assigned to receive ketorolac 0.5% or indomethacin 0.1% in the right eye and artificial tears in the left eye. Conjunctival hyperemia, burning sensations, foreign-body sensations, and photophobia scores were conducted at baseline and at days seven and 14. A satisfaction score was evaluated at the end of the study.

Results: The conjunctival injection score of the control eyes was significantly higher than those of the ketorolac- and indomethacin-treated eyes at day seven (P < .05). The conjunctival injection score of the ketorolac-treated eyes was lower than that of the indomethacin-treated eyes at days seven and 14, but this did not reach statistical significance. There was no significant difference in the burning and foreign-body sensations and in the photophobia scores among the study eyes at baseline, day seven, and day 14 (P > .05). There was no significant difference in the satisfaction score among the study eyes at the end of the study (P > .05).

Conclusions: In patients with measles during the first two weeks of infection, ketorolac and indomethacin were more effective than artificial tears in decreasing conjunctival hyperemia, but burning sensations, foreign-body sensations, and photophobia were unaffected.