Temperature Change of Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Devices in a Bi-Chamber Set-Up at a Flow of 0 and 20mL/min.

Purpose: To understand the role of ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) in corneal incision contracture (CIC). Specifically, the aim was to evaluate with the tip of the phacoemulsification needle free of OVD, how various OVDs near the tip and sleeve may transmit thermal energy to the incision site.

Methods: A small chamber was filled with balanced saline solution (BSS), and a thin membrane was placed on the surface. OVD was placed atop the membrane. A temperature probe was placed in the OVD, while the handpiece pierced the membrane. The experiment was run both with and without flow and vacuum. Temperature measurements were gathered for each of the OVDs at four separate time points at 0 and 20mL/min flow.

Results: As expected, there was a more pronounced temperature increase in all test groups with no fluid flow. While the temperature increase was not significantly different from BSS for any of the OVDs tested at either 0 or 20mL/min, Viscoat showed the most variable results at both flow settings.

Conclusion: As long as the phaco tip is not in OVD, residual OVD near the incision is not exothermic and so not an additional risk for CIC.