PREDNISOLONE
Topical corticosteroid, started by ophthalmology
Formeye
Prednisolone acetate 1% eye drops, 1 drop every 1 to 6 hours according to how active the inflammation is, then tapered slowly. The frequency and the taper are set at the slit lamp, not in general practice. - Weeks, tapered by the ophthalmologist against slit-lamp findings; stopping early is what makes it recur
No weight-based dose - it is instilled, not swallowed. A child needs paediatric ophthalmology, not a GP prescription: the article records that children are more prone than adults to steroid-induced raised intraocular pressure, that about 46% of children present with established complications such as cataract and posterior synechiae, and that juvenile idiopathic arthritis needs a formal slit-lamp examination rather than vision screening.
Granulomatous Uveitis - StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf NBK570581) - disease-level clinical article (anterior-uveitis-full.txt), which gives prednisolone acetate 1% eye drops every 1 to 6 hours as often the treatment of choice for most benign or moderate anterior uveitis.
Topical corticosteroid is the first treatment for anterior uveitis in the cached article, with systemic corticosteroid reserved for severe, posterior or bilateral disease. The strength matches what Egypt sells: eight single-ingredient prednisolone 1% eye drops, from ACETASEE at about 8 EGP to APICORTE FORTE at about 63 EGP. The steroid-plus-antibiotic combination drops on the same shelf are a different product and are not what the article specifies.
- SPECIALIST-INITIATED. A steroid drop put into an undiagnosed herpetic or other infectious keratitis can blind the eye. The Egyptian formulary licenses ophthalmic prednisolone for steroid-responsive ocular inflammation only after viral, fungal and bacterial infection have been excluded, and the article warns that syphilis and tuberculosis must be ruled out first because corticosteroids alone can worsen them. That exclusion needs a slit lamp.
- Two documents give different frequencies and both are recorded rather than one being chosen: the article says every 1 to 6 hours for anterior uveitis; the Egyptian formulary's ophthalmic prednisolone entry says 1 to 2 drops 2 to 4 times daily, rising to as much as 2 drops every hour in the first 24 to 48 hours. The ophthalmologist sets which applies.
- Do not stop it abruptly. The formulary directs that therapy be withdrawn by gradual tapering in chronic conditions.
- Intraocular pressure has to be monitored while it is running - steroid-induced ocular hypertension and cataract are the two costs of this treatment, and the article asks for review every 1 to 2 weeks during the active phase.
- Pain, redness and light sensitivity with a small or irregular pupil is a same-day ophthalmology referral. Recurrent or bilateral disease needs a search for a systemic cause - sarcoidosis and tuberculosis lead that list, and tuberculosis is the commonest infectious cause worldwide, more so where it is endemic.
| Egyptian brand | Manufacturer | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| ACETASEE 1% EYE DROPS (SUSP.) 5 ML | RAMEDA | 7.50 EGP |
| PREDNISOLONE 1% EYE DROPS 5 ML | PHARCO | 13.20 EGP |
| ORCHAPRED 1% SUSP. EYE DROPS 10 ML | ORCHIDIA PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES > ORCHIDIA | 38.00 EGP |
| ECONOPRED PLUS 1% EYE DROPS 5 ML | NOVARTIS > NOVARTIS SCIENTIFIC OFFICE | 43.00 EGP |
| PHARMA PRED 1% EYE DROPS (SUSP.) 5 ML | RAMEDA > PHARCO | 43.00 EGP |
| PRED FORTE 1% EYE DROPS 5 ML | ALLERGAN > SOFICOPHARM | 43.00 EGP |
| APICORTE FORTE 1% EYE DROPS | AMMAN PHARMACEUTICAL CO - JORDAN > ADM FOR TRADING & PROJECTS-EGYPT | 63.00 EGP |
| OPTIPRED 10MG/ML EYE DROPS (SUSP.) 5 ML | JAMJOOM PHARMACEUTICALS | 54.00 EGP |