Postoperative inflammation after clear corneal and sclerocorneal incisions.

PURPOSE: To compare two standard small incision techniques for cataract surgery--clear corneal incision and sclerocorneal incision--with regard to postoperative disturbance of the blood-aqueous barrier (BAB).

SETTING

Department of Ophthalmology, University of Vienna, Austria.

METHODS

This prospective comparative study comprised 108 eyes with senile cataract. A clear corneal tunnel incision was made in 53 eyes and a sclerocorneal incision with tunnel preparation in 55. All other surgical procedures and postoperative medication were standardized. Postoperative BAB disruption was measured with a laser flare-cell meter (Kowa FC 1000) in an undilated pupil on 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 60, and 90 days postoperatively. The values were compared using a two-sided t-test.

RESULTS

In both groups, flare and cell values were highest on the first postoperative day. They gradually declined but without recovery of preoperative flare values on day 28. At no time was there a noticeable between-group difference in mean cell and flare values except for flare at day 14 (P = .04).

CONCLUSION

Postoperative trauma, measured by the BAB disturbance, was equally low after clear corneal and sclerocorneal incisions.