Oral Gabapentinoids and Nerve Blocks for the Treatment of Chronic Ocular Pain.

PURPOSE: There is a recognition that nerve dysfunction can contribute to chronic ocular pain in some individuals. However, limited data are available on how to treat individuals with a presumed neuropathic component to their ocular pain. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of our treatment approaches to this entity. METHODS: A retrospective review of treatments and outcomes in individuals with chronic ocular pain that failed traditional therapies. RESULTS: We started eight patients on an oral gabapentinoid (gabapentin and/or pregabalin) as part of their pain regimen (mean age 46 years, 50% women). Two individuals reported complete ocular pain relief with a gabapentinoid, in conjunction with their topical and oral medication regimen. Three individuals noted significant improvements, one slight improvement, and two others no improvement in ocular pain with gabapentin or pregabalin. We performed periocular nerve blocks (4 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine mixed with 1 mL of 80 mg/mL methylprednisolone acetate) targeting the periocular nerves (supraorbital, supratrochlear, infratrochlear, and infraorbital) in 11 individuals (mean age 54 years, 36% women), 10 of whom had previously used a gabapentinoid without ocular pain improvement. Seven individuals experienced pain relief after nerve blocks that lasted from hours to months and four failed to benefit. Five of the individuals who experienced pain relief underwent repeat nerve blocks, weeks to months later. CONCLUSIONS: Approaches used to treat chronic pain outside the eye can be applied to ocular pain that is not responsive to traditional therapies.

Pregabalin Failed to Prevent Dry Eye Symptoms after Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) in a Randomized Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: Perioperative pregabalin administration has been found to reduce the risk of persistent pain after a variety of surgical procedures. However, this approach has not been tested in relation to eye surgery. As such, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether perioperative pregabalin can reduce the presence of dry eye (DE) symptoms, including eye pain, six months after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). METHODS: Prospective, masked, randomized single-center pilot study. Patients were treated with either pregabalin (oral solution of pregabalin 150 mg twice daily, first dose prior to surgery, continued for a total of 28 doses over 14 days) or placebo solution. The primary outcome was dry eye symptoms as measured by the Dry Eye Questionnaire 5 (DEQ-5). Secondary outcome measures included pain-related eye symptoms. RESULTS: In total, 43 individuals were enrolled in the study and randomized to pregabalin (n = 21) or placebo (n = 22). Of those, 42 individuals completed the final visit after six months of follow-up. Some differences were noted between the two groups at baseline, including a higher frequency of females in the pregabalin group. At 6-months, there were no significant differences in the percentage of patients with DE symptoms (DEQ5 ≥ 6, 57% vs. 33%, p = 0.14), DE symptom severity (DEQ5, 6.6 ± 5.0 vs. 4.5 ± 4.2, p = 0.14), ocular pain intensity (numerical rating scale, 1.10 ± 1.48 vs. 0.38 ± 0.97, p = 0.08), or neuropathic pain complaints (Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory-Eye, 2.81 ± 4.07 vs. 3.14 ± 5.85, p = 0.83) between the pregabalin and control groups. Ocular signs were likewise similar between the groups, and of note, did not correlate with DE symptoms. The strongest predictor of DE symptoms six months post-surgery was the presence of DE symptoms prior to surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative pregabalin did not reduce the frequency or severity of DE symptoms at a six month follow-up after LASIK in this small pilot study.