Study: DMEK graft rejection more likely to occur with discontinuation of topical steroids

The immunologic graft rejection rate of Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty during the second year after surgery was 6% in patients who discontinued daily use of topical corticosteroids during that second year, according to a study. The rejection rate was 0% in patients who continued taking steroids during the second year postoperatively.“The question that our cornea transplant recipients ask most often is, ‘When can I stop using eye drops?’” investigator Marianne O. Price, PhD, executive director of the Cornea Research Foundation of America in Indianapolis, said. “Surprisingly, few studies have investigated the risk of rejection after discontinuing topical steroids, and the ones that have were with penetrating keratoplasty.”