Impact of Intraoperative Ocular Lubricants on Corneal Debridement Rate During Vitreoretinal Surgery

PURPOSE: To compare surgical parameters among patients receiving Viscoat (sodium chondroitin sulfate 4%–sodium hyaluronate 3%) or Goniosol (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 2.5%) as topical lubricants for retinal surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing retinal surgery between March 2013 and March 2018 using Goniosol or Viscoat as adjuvants. Primary outcome measures were rate of corneal debridement and operative time between groups, compared using χ(2) and t-tests, respectively. RESULTS: Compared to Viscoat (n=319), the Goniosol group (n=210) had more frequent intraoperative corneal debridement (21.4% vs 0, p<0.05) and longer surgical times (98 vs 78 minutes, p<0.05). Patients in the Viscoat group had higher rates of complex procedures (34.8% vs 26.7%, p<0.05), but were younger (50.7 vs 55.0 years, p<0.05) and more likely to be phakic (83.4% vs 70.5%, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest potential advantages of using Viscoat over Goniosol for corneal lubrication to aid visualization during vitreoretinal surgery.