Grooved and Nongrooved Clear Corneal Incisions in Phacoemulsification: Permeability Study

Abstract

Purpose To detect the inflow of trypan blue through grooved and nongrooved sutureless self-sealing clear corneal incisions at the end of phacoemulsification as compared to a control group. Methods A prospective randomized masked trial considered 52 eyes randomized into 3 groups in which phacoemulsification was performed: group A, nongrooved incisions; group B, grooved incisions; and group C, controls. By the end of each surgery, trypan blue was instilled on the ocular surface in groups A and B and rinsed out after 2 minutes. A sample of the anterior chamber content was collected and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography to identify and quantify the trypan blue concentration. The presence of trypan blue was expressed as a specific single peak graphic image. The mean areas of these peaks were used to assess the groups using a nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. Results There was a statistically significant difference between the nongrooved incisions group and the control group (p = 0.0448). No significant difference was observed between group B (grooved incision) and controls (p = 0.1800). Conclusions Trypan blue was detected in the anterior chamber when nongrooved clear corneal incision was used. There was no trypan blue detection in the group with grooved clear corneal main incisions.