OPESAVER-Super Irrigation System

OPESERVER reduces the surge phenomenon during ultrasonic phacoemulsification. It is composed of a Y-shaped joint (connecting the irrigation tube to the ultrasonic handpiece) to which a silicone tube (3.5 mm in internal diameter, 5 mm in outer diameter, and 2 m in length) is connected. The opposite end of the silicone tube is closed. Making use of the spontaneous compression and inflation, which take place to make the anterior chamber pressure equal to the air pressure within the silicon tube, OPESERVER instantaneously releases the irrigation fluid (entering the silicon tube) into the anterior chamber, thus allowing avoidance of surge and stabilization of the anterior chamber. If OPESERVER is used, stability of the anterior chamber is remarkably improved even when cataract surgery is performed with the irrigation fluid bottle set at a height 30 to 40 cm lower than usual, thus contributing to improving the safety of surgery and promoting postoperative patient recovery. Because the use of OPESERVER involves only a simple change in the pattern of the irrigation side, it can be used in combination with existing methods for manipulation on the aspiration side, and there is no restriction on the type of the apparatus used for aspiration.