Effect of a new cohesive ophthalmic viscosurgical device on corneal protection and intraocular pressure in small-incision cataract surgery

PURPOSE: To compare the corneal protective and intraocular pressure (IOP) effects of a new cohesive ophthalmic viscosurgical (OVD), Neocrom Cohesive (sodium hyaluronate 1.4%), with those of Healon (sodium hyaluronate 1.0%) in cataract surgery. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. METHODS: This randomized patient-masked examiner-masked study with fellow-eye comparison comprised 29 cataract surgery patients. Surgery was performed with Neocrom Cohesive in 1 eye and Healon in the other eye. Central corneal thickness (CCT) was measured preoperatively and 1 day and 3 months postoperatively; endothelial cell density (ECD), preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively; and IOP, preoperatively and 6 hours and 1 day postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean CCT change from preoperatively to postoperatively in the Neocrom Cohesive, respectively, group and Healon group was +16.0 microm +/- 25.7 (SD) (P<.01) and +7.0 +/- 17.1 microm (P<.05), respectively, at 1 day and -5.7 +/- 10.8 microm (P<.01) and -4.7 microm +/- 9.5 microm) (P<.01), respectively, at 3 months. The mean ECD change at 3 months was 8 +/- 155 cells/mm(2) in the Neocrom Cohesive group (P = .8) and -46 +/- 139 cells/mm(2) in the Healon group (P = .08). The mean IOP increase was +2.2 +/- 3.5 mm Hg (P<.01) and +1.4 +/- 4.2 mm Hg (P = .14), respectively, 6 hours postoperatively and +0.9 +/- 4.3 mm Hg (P = .37) and 0.0 +/- 3.5 mm Hg (P = .77), respectively, at 1 day. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference between Neocrom Cohesive and Healon in the changes in CCT, ECD, and IOP after cataract surgery.