Topical Olopatadine Provides Greater Comfort Than Ketotifen Fumarate Drops

A 0.7% olopatadine solution provides better ocular surface comfort to patients with minor allergy symptoms than a topical solution consisting of 0.035% ketotifen fumarate, according to research published in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye. 

Researchers enrolled 159 participants (mean age, 26.3±7.7 years; 78% women) to compare the tolerability of 0.7% olopatadine with 0.035% ketotifen fumarate for relieving minor ocular surface discomfort associated with allergy. Participants were randomly assigned to receive treatment with 1 of the 2 topical agents in their right eye, while the other drop was instilled in the left eye. Patients indicated comfort levels through a visual analog scale (VAS) and these values were translated into a numerical value (0 very uncomfortable, 100 very comfortable). VAS assessments were obtained at baseline, 30 seconds, 1 minute, and 2 minutes. 

Patients reported more ocular surface comfort in the eye containing the 0.07% olopatadine solution at all time points compared with 0.035% ketotifen fumarate (all P <.002). Overall, participants preferred the former treatment to the later with respect to overall comfort (46.54% vs 38.36%), stinging (46.54% vs 37.11%), burning (44.03% vs 36.48%), or vision fluctuation/blur (23.90% vs 20.13%) at application (all P <.01). Visual acuity was not affected by drop instillation, but nasal bulbar redness was significantly less among eyes treated with 0.07% olopatadine compared with those treated with 0.035% ketotifen fumarate (0.59 vs 0.65; P <.0001).

“[T]his study found that 0.7% olopatadine and 0.035% ketotifen fumarate were both safe at application; however, 0.7% olopatadine was found to provide superior comfort compared to 0.035% ketotifen fumarate at drop application and for at least 2 min post-drop application,” according to the study authors. “These data are important for eye care practitioners who recommend over-the-counter anti-allergy eye drops because recommending more comfortable drops may result in better patient compliance; however, further studies are needed to confirm that increased comfort truly increases patient drop compliance.”

Study limitations include the recruiting of asymptomatic patients.

Disclosure: This research was supported by Alcon Research, LLC. Multiple study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or clinical research organizations. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors’ disclosures.