A comparison of therapeutic regimens containing moxifloxacin 0.5% ophthalmic solution and gatifloxacin 0.3% ophthalmic solution for surgical prophylaxis in patients undergoing LASIK or LASEK

The purpose of these two studies was to compare the safety and tolerability of moxifloxacin 0.5% ophthalmic solution and gatifloxacin 0.3% ophthalmic solution for use with laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and laser-assisted subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) patients. Treatment with the two antibiotic regimens was randomly assigned to fellow eyes of each patient. The LASIK study showed no difference between the two therapies in terms of visual acuity, pupil size, SPK, edema, haze, day- and nighttime glare, halos, clarity of day or night vision, and dry eye symptoms up to 1 week after surgery. Patients reported no preference between the two antibiotics on the basis of ease of use, irritation, redness, itching, gritty, sandy or scratchy feeling, speed of recovery, overall vision, or overall comfort up to 7 days after LASIK surgery. Corneal healing after LASEK surgery was equivalent for the antibiotic regimens containing moxifloxacin 0.5% ophthalmic solution and gatifloxacin 0.3% ophthalmic solution. When comparing safety and tolerability, these findings suggest an equivalent role for these fluoroquinolone antibiotics in surgical prophylaxis.