Ingress of India ink into the anterior chamber through sutureless clear corneal cataract wounds.
BACKGROUND
Sutureless clear corneal cataract incisions may be associated with an increased risk of endophthalmitis.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the degree of ocular surface fluid ingress into the anterior chamber of cadaveric human globes with clear corneal wounds.


METHODS
Self-sealing clear corneal incisions were created in 4 eyes, and intraocular pressure was controlled with an infusion cannula. To evaluate possible flow of surface fluid through the corneal wound, india ink was applied to the corneal surface while the intraocular pressure was varied, so as to simulate the intraocular pressure fluctuations secondary to blinking or eye squeezing. The optical density from aqueous samples of globes were measured both before and after india ink application using a spectrophotometer.


RESULTS
Aqueous aspirates from the 3 globes with sutureless clear corneal wounds revealed a significant increase in spectrophotometric readings (P<.01), in contrast to the sutured wound, which did not show an increase in absorbance level relative to the baseline. Ink particles were both grossly and microscopically visible inside the sutureless corneal wounds.


CONCLUSIONS
Fluctuations of intraocular pressure following sutureless clear corneal cataract surgery may allow entry of surface fluid into the anterior chamber during the initial postoperative period when the wound is not healed.
Taban
Mehran
M
Department of Ophthalmology, University of California-Irvine, CA, USA.
Sarayba
Melvin A
MA
Ignacio
Teresa S
TS
Behrens
Ashley
A
McDonnell
Peter J
PJ
D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000378:metabolism*; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000737:chemistry; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000379:methods*; D003315:Cornea / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013537:Sutures; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
C028433:chinese ink; D002244:Carbon