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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Nov 1;43(11):1355-1360.
doi: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000003457. Epub 2023 Dec 20.

Effect of Anterior Chamber Air on Central Corneal Thickness in Human Donor Eyes

Marcela Huertas-Bello  1 , Christopher W Seery  1 , Karen Sem  2 , Elizabeth Fout  3 , Concetta Triglia  3 , Allen O Eghrari  4 , Ellen H Koo  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of Anterior Chamber Air on Central Corneal Thickness in Human Donor Eyes

Marcela Huertas-Bello et al. Cornea. .

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of intracameral air on corneal edema.

Methods: A laboratory investigation was performed on human donor corneas. Baseline pachymetry measurements through anterior segment optical coherence tomography and endothelial cell density were obtained for all corneas. Each pair of corneas was separated and randomly assigned to undergo air injection or Optisol-GS into a BIONIKO artificial anterior chamber for 5 minutes at physiologic intraocular pressure confirmed by digital palpation. Photographs were obtained immediately on connection of the cornea to the artificial anterior chamber and on completion of the 5 minutes of treatment, with anterior chamber air being exchanged for Optisol-GS. Pretreatment and posttreatment photographs were obtained. Immediately after treatment, pachymetry was again obtained on all corneas. Pachymetry data underwent statistical analysis.

Results: Corneal pachymetry improved from 690.5 ± 126.6 to 576.1 ± 87.2 μm, yielding a 114.4 ± 50.4 μm improvement of pachymetry in the group with air injected into the anterior chamber. This was a significant improvement of pachymetry when compared with the group with Optisol-GS injected into the anterior chamber, which showed an improvement from 662.3 ± 126.5 to 613.5 ± 108.0 μm, yielding an improvement of 48.8 ± 34.3 μm.

Conclusions: Injection of air into the anterior chamber leads to a significant decrease in corneal pachymetry. We thereby propose that injecting air intracamerally is an effective intraoperative intervention when visualization is negatively affected by corneal edema.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose.

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