difluprednate
Difluprednate 0.05% eye drops, also known by its brand name Durezol, is a prescription corticosteroid that's used to treat eye inflammation. It's approved for adults and children who've just had eye surgery or who have anterior uveitis. The drops are placed directly in the eye(s) 4 times per day for at least 2 weeks. After this time, your prescriber will slowly lower your dose until it's safe to stop the medication altogether. Typical side effects include swelling in the front of the eye and light sensitivity. Difluprednate (Durezol) is available as a generic.
What is Difluprednate (Durezol)?
What is Difluprednate (Durezol) used for?
- Eye inflammation and pain from eye surgery
- Endogenous anterior uveitis
How Difluprednate (Durezol) works
Difluprednate (Durezol) is a corticosteroid medication. When it's applied directly into your eyes, it lowers inflammation in the eye to help treat eye swelling, pain, and redness.
Drug facts
Side effects of Difluprednate (Durezol)
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
- Eye swelling (up to 15%)
- Eye redness (up to 15%)
- Eye pain (up to 15%)
- Eye sensitivity to light (up to 15%)
Less Common Side Effects
- Changes in the sharpness of your vision
- Eye itching
- Eyelid irritation
- Crusting on the eyelids
Difluprednate (Durezol) serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
- Severe allergic reaction: hives; trouble breathing; swelling in the face, tongue, or throat
The following Difluprednate (Durezol) side effects have also been reported
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
More common
Blurred vision
change in color vision
decreased vision or other changes in vision
difficulty seeing at night
eye discomfort
eye redness
increase in blood flow to the whites of the eyes
increased sensitivity of the eyes to sunlight
painful irritation of the front clear part of the eye
sensitivity of the eyes to light
swelling or redness of the eye and lining of the eyelid
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
Less common
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
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Pros and cons of Difluprednate (Durezol)
Pros
- Works well to lessen eye inflammation and eye pain
- Few side effects since the medication is placed directly into the eyes
- Approved for people of all ages
Cons
- Need to use four times a day
- Can't use if you have an eye infection
- Might be difficult for some people to use correctly
Pharmacist tips for Difluprednate (Durezol)
- Be sure to start using difluprednate (Durezol) a day after your eye surgery to help treat eye pain and inflammation from the procedure. Following your surgery, you'll continue to use the eye drops every day for at least 2 weeks. Then, your prescriber will give you specific instructions on how to slowly lower your dose until it's safe to completely stop the medication.
- Let your prescriber know if your eye symptoms don't start to improve after you've used difluprednate (Durezol) for a few days. They might consider a different medication to help relieve your symptoms.
- Keep difluprednate (Durezol) at a temperature between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Protect the medication from light by keeping the bottle in the medication box that you got from the pharmacy.
How to use difluprednate (Durezol):
- Make sure you know how to place the difluprednate (Durezol) drops in your eye. Ask your ophthalmologist or pharmacist if you have any questions.
- Take out any contact lenses in your eye(s) before you use difluprednate (Durezol). This medication has a preservative in it that can damage the contacts. Wait at least 10 minutes before you put your lenses back into your eye(s).
- Wash your hands before you put difluprednate (Durezol) drops in your eye(s). Don't touch the dropper tip with your hands, and don't let the tip touch your eye or any other surface. This lowers the risk for eye infections by keeping the medication from getting contaminated with germs. Your eye specialist might prescribe two bottles of difluprednate (Durezol), one for each eye, to lower the risk of contamination.
- Tilt your head backward and look up. Gently pull your bottom eyelid down to make a small pocket. Then, hold the difluprednate (Durezol) bottle upside down right above the eye. Squeeze the bottle so that 1 drop of medication falls into the pocket. Close your eye and press a finger against the inside corner of your eye for about a minute to help keep the medication in your eye.
- If you need to use other eye drop medications in addition to difluprednate (Durezol), wait at least 5 minutes between using each medication. This helps give your eye time to fully absorb each medication.
Common questions about Durezol
Yes, Durezol is a steroid medication. It lessens inflammation in the eye. It's helpful for managing symptoms after eye surgery.
No, Durezol isn't an antibiotic. It's a steroid that's used to lessen inflammation in the eye. It doesn't work to get rid of germs that cause an eye infection. If you've been prescribed Durezol and you think you've developed an eye infection (e.g., pink eye), let your eye specialist know right away. You might need to be prescribed an antibiotic eye drop to use along with Durezol. Or, you might need to stop using Durezol since steroids weaken the immune system and put you at risk for eye infection.
No, Durezol and prednisolone eye drops (Pred Forte) aren't the same, but they're similar. Both medications are steroid eye drops that help treat eye inflammation. Durezol is used 4 times per day, whereas prednisolone eye drops are used 2 to 4 times per day. Studies show that Durezol might work better than prednisolone eye drops at lessening eye inflammation after cataract surgery. Talk to your eye specialist if you have questions about comparing between both medications.
No, Durezol doesn't typically dilate (or widen) the pupils in your eyes. If you're having an eye procedure that your eyes need to be dilated for, your eye specialist will place a different medication in your eye for this purpose during your appointment.
In general, Durezol is used for 2 weeks at the full dose. But then afterwards, your prescriber will slowly lower the dose over a certain period of time to help prevent steroid withdrawal (e.g., eye irritation). Your prescriber will decide how long you should use Durezol based on your eye condition and your risk factors for steroid withdrawal. Contact a member of your care team if you're not sure how long you should be using Durezol.
There are many steroid eye drop medications available that can be considered instead of Durezol to help with eye inflammation. Examples include loteprednol (Lotemax), dexamethasone (Maxidex), and prednisolone acetate (Pred Forte). Speak with your eye specialist about your options if you're looking for an alternative to Durezol. These alternatives all require a new prescription.
Yes. Durezol is available as a generic.
Let your care team know if you're pregnant so they can speak with you about the risks and benefits of using Durezol. It's not clear how safe it is to use Durezol during pregnancy, so it's typically not recommended while pregnant. You might need a different eye drop medication to safely treat your eye inflammation.
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Risks and warnings for Difluprednate (Durezol)
Difluprednate (Durezol) can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
For use in the eye only
Difluprednate (Durezol) is an eye drop medication that you should place onto the surface of the eye only. Don't put difluprednate (Durezol) on or into any other place on your body.
Possible eye infections and eye problems when used for a long time
- Risk factors: Long-term use | History of glaucoma or cataracts | History of viral infections (including herpes simplex) in the eye | Recent cataract surgery
Long-term use of difluprednate (Durezol) can raise your risk of developing new or worsening eye infections. It also raises your risk for eye problems, like glaucoma, cataracts, other eye damage, and vision problems.
If you need to take difluprednate (Durezol) for 10 days or longer, you'll need regular eye exams to check the health of your eyes. Tell your prescriber if you have any vision changes, eye pain, or new symptoms of an eye infection while you're using this medication.
Slow healing of the eye after an eye procedure
Using steroid eye drops like difluprednate (Durezol) after eye surgery can slow down the healing process in the eye. Let your prescriber know if you've recently had cataract surgery or other type of eye surgery.
Damage to contact lenses
Difluprednate (Durezol) contains a preservative that can get absorbed into soft contact lenses and damage them. If your prescriber said you can wear contact lenses during treatment, take the contacts out before you use the eye drops. Wait at least 10 minutes after you use difluprednate (Durezol) before you put your contact lens back into your eye(s).
Difluprednate (Durezol) dosage
Eye dropper| Dosage | Quantity | Price as low as | Price per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5ml of 0.05% | 1 eye dropper | $41.38 | $41.38 |
Typical dosage for Difluprednate (Durezol)
-
Eye inflammation and pain from eye surgery: The typical starting dose is 1 drop into the affected eye 4 times a day starting 24 hours after surgery and continuing for 2 weeks. Then, the dose is typically lowered to 1 drop twice a day for a week. Your prescriber will give you further instructions depending on how your eye recovers.
-
Endogenous anterior uveitis: The typical starting dose is 1 drop into the affected eye 4 times a day for 2 weeks. After that, your prescriber might lower your dose slowly, depending on your symptoms.
Interactions between Difluprednate (Durezol) and other drugs
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your healthcare professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.
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Difluprednate (Durezol) contraindications
Contraindications are specific health conditions or situations in which a person should not take a medication due to safety concerns. If you have any of the following conditions or if any of the following apply to you, let your healthcare provider know because Difluprednate (Durezol) will not be safe for you to take.
- Bacterial, viral, or fungal infection in the eye
What are alternatives to Difluprednate (Durezol)?
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