Effects of two ophthalmic viscoelastic devices on the corneal endothelium after phacoemulsification

Abstract

Objective: This study compared the effects of Discovisc (DV) and Amvisc Plus (AP) on the corneal endothelium of patients after phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

Methods: Forty eyes of 36 adult patients were enrolled in this randomized, double masked clinical trial. They were randomly assigned to receive either DV or AP during phacoemulsification. Both the patients and the evaluators were masked as to which viscoelastic was used during the surgery. The main outcome measures were endothelial-cell loss after surgery, intraocular pressures (IOP), and change in corneal thickness. Differences between the two groups were analyzed statistically.

Results: The mean endothelial-cell loss was 205.5 (9.79%) in the DV group and 450 (18.10%) in the AP group. There was significantly greater endothelial-cell loss among patients who received AP (p = 0.01). The mean postoperative corneal thickness and IOP were similar for both groups.

Conclusions: The use of DV resulted in less endothelial-cell loss compared with AP after uncomplicated phacoemulsification in normal eyes. DV, therefore, provided better protection of the corneal endothelium during cataract surgery.