New ophthalmic dual-viscoelastic device in cataract surgery: a comparative study

To compare the performance and safety in cataract surgery of two ophthalmic viscoelastic devices (OVDs), each having separate dispersive and cohesive characteristics and different concentrations.

In this prospective, randomised, controlled clinical study, one eye of each patient was injected with OVD1 (Viscopack14) or OVD2 (DuoVisc) during phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. Endothelial cell count, intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), intraocular inflammation and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) were compared 3 months postoperatively.

The study enrolled 127 patients. Randomisation assigned 50 eyes of as many patients to each arm of the study. The postoperative mean endothelial cell loss was 14.4% and 7.1% from baseline in the OVD1 and OVD2 groups, respectively (p=0.08). The incidence of IOP spikes at 2 hours was 0% and 8%, respectively (p=0.02). There were intergroup differences in postoperative IOP values, the OVD2 group showed significantly higher values at all of the follow-up visits starting from the 24 hours examination (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the CCT, intraocular inflammation and CDVA at the end of follow-up.

Both OVDs showed similar clinical performances and were equally effective during cataract surgery. Viscopack14 showed more corneal endothelial cell reduction, while DuoVisc had more occurrences of IOP values and spikes. Future studies are mandatory to support these preliminary results.