Use of viscoelastic substance in ophthalmic surgery — focus on sodium hyaluronate

Review

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Authors: Tomomi Higashide, Kazuhisa Sugiyama

Published Date March 2008 Volume 2008:2(1) Pages 21 - 30

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S1439

Tomomi Higashide, Kazuhisa Sugiyama

Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan

Abstract: Among viscoelastic substances, sodium hyaluronate has become the most popular for intraocular surgeries since the introduction of Healon^® (sodium hyaluronate 1%, 4 × 10⁶ daltons) in 1979. This review focuses on the recent development of a new generation of sodium hyaluronate agents with new rheologic properties and the relevant new techniques used in cataract, glaucoma, corneal, and vitreoretinal surgeries. The introduction of sodium hyaluronate agents with different rheologic properties has improved the safety and reliability of intraocular surgeries. Although there have been numerous studies reporting the effectiveness of viscoelastic substances in intraocular surgeries, rigorous validation by multi-center randomized control trials is lacking in many cases. At present, no single viscoelastic agent is most suitable to all of the various intraocular surgical techniques. Therefore, ophthalmologic surgeons should keep up with recent developments of viscoelastic agents and relevant surgical techniques for better patient care.

Keywords: sodium hyaluronate, cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, corneal transplantation, vitreoretinal surgery