The Role of Loteprednol in Reducing Post-Intravitreal Injection Related Pain

Patients are already receiving an intravitreal injection as a standard of care for age-related macular degeneration, but they are consenting to receiving a loteprednol drop following the intravitreal injection for the research study. Loteprednol is used as a part of regular medical care at the Vistar Eye Center following intravitreal injections but quantifying the magnitude of pain reduction has not been done yet. Additionally, as of now there is no definitive pain management technique following intravitreal injections. This clinical trial is studying the role of loteprednol (corticosteroid) in reducing pain following intravitreal injections for patients with age-related macular degeneration. Participants will be treated with either loteprednol, or artificial tears following one visit for an intravitreal injection at the Vistar Eye Center to test how effective loteprednol is in pain reduction. Pain levels will be assessed by asking participants over the phone about their pain from a scale of 0 to 10 at 2-hours, 1-day, and 1-week following the intravitreal injection. Intravitreal injections will be performed by the retina surgeon, and phone calls will be done with the research coordinator. Artificial tear and medication usage will also be tracked over a 1-week period.