Role Of Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Device In Cataract Surgery
At the time of invention of cataract surgery, there was nothing called OVD and an air bubble used to be the aid to keep anterior chamber formed during the capsulotomy and lens insertion. This made the surgery very complicated and very few surgeons used to take risk of performing cataract surgery. But the situation completely changed after innovation of Ophthalmic Viscoelastic. Advent of this device worked wonders in ophthalmology.
I know you must be thinking, why it is so important and what exactly OVD is.
This is a gel like substance with viscous and elastic properties. Made from sodium hyaluronate, methylcellulose and chondroitin sulfate, OVD can be divided in two categories including cohesive and dispersive. Having features of both fluids and solids, these differ from each other in respect of viciousness, pseudo plasticity, viscoelasticity, and coatability.
What does OVD do during surgery?
This device is used to maintain and preserve space, stabilize tissue, protect and coat tissue. First used in 1972, this device has today become the most important ophthalmic surgical equipments. These protect the delicate ocular structures and make the surgery quick and safe with improved visual recovery.
Only after going through the patient's history, the problem and the agent in OVD, the surgeons opt for a particular type of Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Device. One should also check for some properties of OVD like ease of infusion, nontoxic, easy removal, protection of endothelium and clear.
In order to ensure high success rate of cataract surgery, the surgeon should property understand the properties of different OVDs along with their advantages and disadvantages. Cohesive and dispersive agents have their own strengths and weaknesses, and might not provide same results for all the patients. In some cases surgeons also have to use both the OVDs along with other devices and solutions like Viscoelastic Sodium Hyaluronate.