Prophylaxis of aphakic cystoid macular edema without corticosteroids. A paired-comparison, placebo-controlled double-masked study. Prior investigations have reported that topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy prevents the development of postoperative angiographic signs of angiographic cystoid macular edema (CME). However, these studies include concurrent use of corticosteroids. The current study reports therapeutic efficacy for ketorolac ophthalmic solution (an NSAID) in the prophylaxis of angiographic aphakic CME (ACME) after cataract surgery without concurrent corticosteroids for the first time. Fifty patients with bilateral cataracts were enrolled in this placebo-controlled, paired-comparison, double-masked study. Eleven patients had evidence of angiographic ACME on postoperative day 40. Two of these patients demonstrated bilateral ACME, one patient had ACME in the NSAID-treated eye, and eight patients demonstrated ACME in the placebo-treated eye. This is a statistically significant difference favoring drug treatment. The signs of anterior ocular inflammation were greater in the eyes with ACME. This study suggests prophylactic treatment of ACME may be possible without the risks of concurrent corticosteroid toxicity. In addition, a higher incidence of ACME in black patients (22%) is observed in this study than has been recognized previously. 