Safety of EVO ICL Implantation With an Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Device-Free Technique in the Early 24 h After Surgery

Purpose: To compare the safety of the non-ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) technique with that of the minimum OVD technique in EVO Implantable Collamer Lens (EVO-ICL) implantation. Methods: A total of 180 eyes of 90 consecutive patients were enrolled in the study, of which 100 eyes of 50 patients were treated with non-OVD technique, with a 55% success rate. The remaining 80 eyes of 40 patients were treated with min-OVD technique, so they were classified into the min-OVD group. Preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements were collected and analyzed at 1, 2, 3, and 24 h. Visual acuity, corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), and corneal densitometry 24 h postoperatively were evaluated. Results: No significant difference was found in visual outcomes (P = 0.54) or ECD (P = 0.78) between the two groups. The operation time was significantly shorter in the non-OVD group (P < 0.0001). The IOP was significantly higher at 1 h (P < 0.0001), 2 h (P < 0.0001) and 3 h (P = 0.0045) postoperatively in the min-OVD group. The non-OVD group had significantly lower IOP than the min-OVD group at 1 h (P = 0.01) and 2 h (P = 0.013) postoperatively. The temporal corneal densitometry in the non-OVD group were significantly lower than those in the minimum group (P = 0.0063) 1 day after surgery. Conclusion: The non-OVD technique is safe and efficient for ICL implantation. It can be a safer method of ICL implantation in that it completely eliminates ophthalmic viscoelastic devices related complications without causing additional complications in short term.