Post-cataract surgery hyperreflective lesions within corneal incisions suspected to be silicone oil from disposable blades

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate hyperreflective lesions within the paracentesis and main wound incisions after cataract surgery performed with disposable blades.

Setting: Kings County Hospital, Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Design: Retrospective study.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of 14 patients after cataract surgery with disposable corneal incision blades for the paracentesis and main wound. Anterior segment photographs were reviewed from preoperative and postoperative evaluations. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the paracentesis and main wounds was included.

Results: Fourteen eyes from 14 patients were included in this study. Eleven patients had anterior segment photographs and 2 patients had anterior segment OCT showing hyperreflective lesions within the main wound and paracentesis. One patient had intraoperative photographs showing these hyperreflective lesions appearing immediately after wound construction. No patients had complications related to these findings. Cleaned disposable keratome blades had silicone oil applied to them, and then, main wounds were constructed on pig eyes that showed similar hyperreflective corneal lesions as the 11 patients presented.

Conclusions: To the authors' knowledge, this was the first study to show hyperreflective lesions within corneal incisions after anterior segment surgery. The hypothesis was that trace amounts of silicone oil on the disposable blades was the etiology; this did not seem to have any negative consequences for the patients.