AzTrials
AzTrials

Cataract DiabeticPhase 4NCT04977427

Dextenza vs Prednisolone Acetate After Cataract Surgery for Patients With Diabetes

A Phase 4 study testing Dextenza 0.4Mg Ophthalmic Insert and Prednisolone Acetate 1% Oph Susp in people with Cataract Diabetic and Macula Edema, run by Baylor Research Institute.

Withdrawn

Withdrawn. The study stopped before anyone enrolled.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Dextenza vs standard of care prednisolone taper after cataract surgery in diabetic patients with regards to controlling post-op inflammation at post-op days 7, 14, and 30. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Cataract Diabetic, Macula Edema
What is being tested?
Dextenza 0.4Mg Ophthalmic Insert and Prednisolone Acetate 1% Oph Susp
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
0 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
31 Aug 2021to 20 Dec 2021
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patients with diagnosed diabetes
  • Patients must be undergoing cataract surgery in each eye
  • Patients must have no worse than moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy

Who cannot join

  • Patients must not have any history of documented macular edema on OCT
  • Patients must not have any macular edema on pre-op OCT
  • Patients must not have any history of uveitis
  • Patients must not have severe nonproliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy
  • Patients with operative complications will be excluded from this study
  • Patients with any active corneal disease, infectious or rheumatologic, will be excluded
  • Patients must not be pregnant

About this study

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Dextenza vs standard of care prednisolone taper after cataract surgery in diabetic patients with regards to controlling post-op inflammation at post-op days 7, 14, and 30.

Read the detailed description

The inflammation after cataract surgery is controlled at the investigators' institution by a taper of prednisolone acetate 1%, which consists of four drops daily for one week, followed by three drops daily for one week, then two drops daily for one week, then one drop daily for one week. Due to the frequency of drops needed after cataract surgery, compliance with the post-op regimen often wavers. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Dextenza, which has been shown to be better than placebo after cataract surgery (1), against prednisolone acetate taper. If shown to be as effective without compromising safety, it could be a very convenient alternative to prednisolone acetate taper. Furthermore, if Dextenza is shown to be as effective as prednisolone taper in diabetic patients, it could be logically generalized that it would be effective in patients without diabetes as well, as patients without diabetes (and with no confounding risk factors, such as a history of uveitis) are less prone to developing post-op macular edema. Risks are minimal for this FDA approved treatment and include iridocyclitis (10%); intraocular pressure increased (6%); visual acuity reduced (2%); cystoid macular edema (1%); corneal edema (1%); eye pain (1%) and conjunctival hyperemia (1%). These risks are comparable to prednisolone acetate.

Being tested
Dextenza 0.4Mg Ophthalmic Insert, Prednisolone Acetate 1% Oph Susp
Keywords
Prednisolone, Dextenza

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Dextenza 0.4Mg Ophthalmic InsertDrug

    Dexamethasone inserted into lower punctum at the end of cataract surgery in order to control inflammation in the eye for the following 30 days after surgery.

  • Prednisolone Acetate 1% Oph SuspDrug

    Standard Prednisolone taper following cataract surgery, QID for one week, followed by TID for one week, BID for one week, and QDaily for one week, then stop.

Study groups in NCT04977427
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Prednisolone ArmActive comparatorStandard post-cataract surgery therapy arm; acts as control in each patient.
Receives: Drug: Prednisolone Acetate 1% Oph Susp
Dextenza ArmActive comparatorInvestigational arm to compare the effectiveness of the Dextenza insert to standard therapy.
Receives: Drug: Dextenza 0.4Mg Ophthalmic Insert

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

    The investigators will assess the effect of 0.4mg dexamethasone intracanalicular insert on the presence or absence of inflammation in the eye following cataract surgery when compared to prednisolone acetate 1%.

    Measured: 7 days

  2. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

    The investigators will assess the effect of 0.4mg dexamethasone intracanalicular insert on the presence or absence of inflammation in the eye following cataract surgery when compared to prednisolone acetate 1%.

    Measured: 14 days

  3. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

    The investigators will assess the effect of 0.4mg dexamethasone intracanalicular insert on the presence or absence of inflammation in the eye following cataract surgery when compared to prednisolone acetate 1%.

    Measured: 30 days

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Macular Edema

    The investigators will assess the effect of 0.4mg dexamethasone intracanalicular insert on the presence or absence of macular edema in the eye on OCT imaging following cataract surgery when compared to prednisolone acetate 1%.

    Measured: 7 days

  2. Macular Edema

    The investigators will assess the effect of 0.4mg dexamethasone intracanalicular insert on the presence or absence of macular edema in the eye on OCT imaging following cataract surgery when compared to prednisolone acetate 1%.

    Measured: 14 days

  3. Macular Edema

    The investigators will assess the effect of 0.4mg dexamethasone intracanalicular insert on the presence or absence of macular edema in the eye on OCT imaging following cataract surgery when compared to prednisolone acetate 1%.

    Measured: 30 days

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted27 Jul 2021
  2. Study start31 Aug 2021
  3. Primary completion20 Dec 2021
  4. Study completion20 Dec 2021

Why it stopped: PI chose to go a different direction due to strict timeline for data collection.

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Randomized Fellow-Eye study design, in which one randomized eye in each patient undergoing bilateral cataract surgery receives standard prednisolone therapy, the other eye receiving the investigational Dextenza treatment.
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
0 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04977427
Sponsor's protocol ID
iRIS RB Number 021-167
Status last verified
Jul 2021
First submitted
29 Jun 2021
Last updated
2 Mar 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Dextenza 0.4Mg Ophthalmic Insert and Prednisolone Acetate 1% Oph Susp in people with Cataract Diabetic and Macula Edema, run by Baylor Research Institute.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) (time frame: 7 days). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Mar 2026.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in