Prednisolone acetate eye drops are glucocorticoid ophthalmic drugs. In clinical application, its side effects need to be clarified to ensure drug safety.

There are many side effects. In the eye, long-term use can easily cause increased intraocular pressure, which may lead to glaucoma, damage the optic nerve, and affect vision. It may also induce eye infections, such as fungal, bacterial, or viral infections, because it inhibits the immune defense mechanism of the eye. For example, the herpes virus that was originally in a latent state may be activated, causing herpetic keratitis.

In terms of systemic effects, although the amount absorbed into the whole body by the ocular topical medication is relatively small, long-term heavy use may still produce some systemic side effects. It may affect the endocrine system in the body, interfere with the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, resulting in inhibition of adrenal cortex function and a decrease in the body's ability to respond to stress. At the same time, it may also affect sugar metabolism and increase blood sugar. For diabetic patients, it is more difficult to control blood sugar.

In addition, the use of this eye drop may also cause some local discomfort symptoms, such as eye irritation, which is manifested as tingling and itching. Some patients will feel foreign body sensation in the eyes, which affects eye comfort. And long-term use may cause lens opacity, that is, cataracts, especially for children and the elderly and other susceptible people.

When applying prednisolone acetate eye drops clinically, doctors need to weigh its therapeutic effect and side effects, strictly control the dosage and duration of the medication, and patients must also follow the doctor's instructions, perform regular eye exams, monitor eye pressure, vision and other indicators, in order to detect and deal with possible side effects in a timely manner.