Effect of cooled intraocular irrigatingsolution on the blood-aqueous barrier after cataract surgery

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of cooled intraocular irrigating solution during phacoemulsification on postoperative blood-aqueous barrier (BAB) disturbance. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Vienna, Austria. METHODS: In a prospective, randomized clinical study, 40 eyes with senile cataract had phacoemulsification with irrigating solutions cooled to approximately 10 degrees C (n = 20) or at room temperature (n = 20). Surgical procedure and postoperative therapy were otherwise identical in both groups. Postoperative BAB disturbance was assessed with the laser flare-cell meter on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28. RESULTS: Anterior chamber flare was significantly lower in the group with cooled irrigating solution on postoperative day 1. There was no significant between-group difference in flare on any other postoperative day. CONCLUSION: Cooled intraocular irrigating solution reduced immediate postoperative inflammation compared with irrigating solution at room temperature. However, this effect was of short duration.