The following is a summary of “Compound electrolyte intraocular irrigating solution produces better effects on vision recovery of cataract patients after surgery than Ringer lactate solution,” published in the June 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Guo et al.
In cataract surgery, intraocular irrigating solutions are widely used as sterile cleansing solutions to maintain the eye’s natural condition.
Researchers conducted a prospective study to compare and understand the effects of compound electrolyte intraocular irrigating solution (CEIIS) and Ringer lactate (RL) solutions on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical quality analysis system (OQAS) measurements during uncomplicated cataract surgeries.
They included 200 senior patients with cataract, split randomly into CEIIS and RL groups (100 patients each). CEIIS or RL irrigated the anterior chamber during phacoemulsification. Patients were divided into Diabetes mellitus (DM)+ and DM− groups. They measured central macular thickness (CMT), hyper reflective foci (HF), modulation transfer function cutoff frequency (MTF cutoff), Strehl ratio (SR), objective scatter index (OSI), and OQAS values (OVs) at different contrasts (100%, 20%, and 9%) preoperatively and 1 day and 1 week post-surgery using spectral domain OCT and OQAS II, respectively. Snellen scale was used to assess best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), followed by statistical analysis of its logarithm with a minimal angle of resolution.
The results showed that both CEIIS and RL groups showed similar clinical characteristics. Post-surgery, both groups saw increased CMT, MTF cutoff, SR, and OV at 100%, 20%, and 9% contrast levels, with reduced OSI. CEIIS outperformed RL in improving visual quality, particularly in DM+ patients, slowing HF and CMT increases, and enhancing postoperative BCVA. Long-term vision improvement did not differ between CEIIS and RL.
Investigators concluded that CEIIS enhances postoperative visual recovery more effectively than RL and slows the increase of macular HF and CMT in senior patients with both DM+ and cataracts.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10792-024-03131-8