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Effect of corneal wetting solutions on corneal thickness during ophthalmic surgery
Sinan Emre1, Cezmi Akkin, Filiz Afrashi
1Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Ege University, 351000 Bornova-Izmir, Turkey. sinan.emre@mailexcite.com
Purpose:
To measure the changes in corneal thickness with wetting solutions used in ophthalmic surgery.
Settings:
Ege University, School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Izmir, Turkey.
Methods:
Thirty-one adult pigmented rabbits that weighed about 2.5 kg each were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium. The rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups to receive 3 wetting solutions: Group 1, Ringer's lactate; Group 2, balanced salt solution (BSS); and Group 3, BSS with glutation (BSS Plus). The solutions were dropped on the right cornea of the rabbits at a rate of 6.0 cc in 12 minutes using an intravenous infusion pump. Corneal thickness was measured by ultrasonic pachymetry before and after the procedure, and the between-group changes in corneal thickness were compared.
Results:
The corneal thickness before and after the procedure was 361.27 microm +/- 19.3 (SD) and 380.00 +/- 25.0 microm, respectively, in Group 1 (P =.000); 372.10 +/- 18.8 microm and 388.60 +/- 24.1 microm, respectively, in Group 2 (P =.003); and 358.10 +/- 26.5 microm and 360.10 +/- 24.1 microm, respectively, in Group 3 (P =.316).
Conclusion:
As a corneal wetting solution, BSS Plus resulted in significantly fewer changes in corneal thickness than Ringer's lactate or BSS. This should be considered in cases involving long intraocular surgery.