A prospective, randomized clinical trial comparing the effects of three viscoelastics on the corneal endothelium after cataract surgery

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effects of Amvisc Plus (AP), Duovisc (DV), and Viscoat (VC)on the corneal endothelium of patients who have undergone uncomplicated phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Methods: This is a prospective, randomized trial that involved 60 eyes of 48 patients with age-related cataracts. The eyes were randomly assigned to receive AP, DV, or VC during phacoemulsification. The main outcome measures were post-operative intraocular pressure (IOP), endothelial cell counts, and corneal thickness. Results: The mean postoperative IOP were 15.13 ± 2.99 mmHg in the AP group, 15.42 ± 2.35 mmHg in the DV group, and 14.86 ± 5.56 mmHg in the VC group. The average postoperative endothelial cell counts were 2531 ± 420 cells/mm2 in the AP group, 2330 ± 674 cells/mm2 in the DV group, and 2678 ± 471 cells/mm2 in the VC group. The mean postoperative corneal thickness measurements were 566 ± 49 m for the AP group, 561 ± 21 m for the DV group, and 552 ± 27 m for the VC group. No significant differences in all parameters were noted among the three groups. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that AP, DV, and VC may be comparable in terms of their ability to protect the corneal endothelium during phacoemulsification.