Safety of implantable Collamer lens implantation without ophthalmic viscosurgical device: A retrospective cohort study

To compare the safety of implantable Collamer lens (ICL) implantation with and without ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD). A total of 148 eyes underwent a conventional ICL implantation with OVD (OVD group), and 112 eyes underwent a modified ICL implantation without OVD (OVD-free group). The balanced salt solution was used to load ICL and maintain the anterior chamber in the OVD-free group. The surgical time, postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity, intraocular pressure, endothelial cell density (ECD), and percentage of hexagonal cells were compared between the OVD and the OVD-free groups. No significant differences were detected in uncorrected distance visual acuity, intraocular pressure, ECD, and percentage of hexagonal cells at any time post-surgery between the 2 groups (P > .05). The mean ECD loss was 1.9% in the OVD-free group and 2.3% in the OVD group at 2 years post-surgery (P = .680). The surgical time was much shorter in the OVD-free group than that in the OVD group (P ≤ .001). None of the following occurred at any time during the 2-year follow-up period in both groups: cataract formation, macular degeneration, or any other vision-threatening complications. OVD-free ICL implantation presented satisfactory results for safety. Compared to OVD, the OVD-free technique had the advantages of decreased surgical time, increased efficiency, and reduced cost.