ADCON-L hydrogel as a vitreous substitute: preliminary results

The ideal vitreous substitute has still to be found. This report concerns the preliminary results of a translucent hydrogel, ADCON-L, used successfully in neurosurgery. We have used this hydrogel as a vitreous substitute in the right eye of New-Zealand albino rabbits following vitrectomy. The follow-up period was four weeks and the evaluation was followed by biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and electroretinography. The results obtained suggest a potential retinotoxicity of this hydrogel as shown by the statistically significant reduction of the mean B-wave amplitude at day 14 (p < 0.05) and day 28 (p < 0.005), as well as an important postoperative inflammatory reaction. Another transparent formulation of the same molecule is currently under investigation.