The Effect Of Temperature Change On The PH Of Common Ophthalmic Solutions.

Background: This research study serves to explore potential trends in temperature and pH as it relates to pharmaceutical standards of ocular medications. The goal is to create useful suggestions for patients in order to encourage good compliance with ophthalmic drops by helping alleviate any discomfort through a simple change in temperature.
Methods: The ophthalmic solutions used in this study include: Durezol®, Moxeza®, Simbrinza®, Tobradex®, and Travatan Z®. Using an electronic pH meter, the pH of various ophthalmic solutions was measured at five different temperatures (very cold, cold, room, warm, very warm) compared to the manufacturer’s suggested temperatures. The range of temperatures is based on realistic temperature scenarios in which patients may store their drops.
Results: The pH of each drop varied slightly with temperature. However, a trend of pH change was not found among these five drops. The pH of each drop varied without relatable patterns.
Conclusion: From this study, the temperature/pH relationship alone does not provide enough information to easily find trends among the data. At this time, this empirical data is not enough to confidently make standard suggestions to patients regarding what type of temperature change would make the ophthalmic drop more comfortable. However future studies on this topic including subjective responses from patients may be a valuable asset to patient education in ocular disease management.