Effects of Intraocular Lens Implantation without Viscoelastic Agents on Corneal Endothelial Cells

Objective: To determine the protective effects of intraocular lens implantation without viscoelastic agents on corneal endothelial cells. Methods: Patients with age-related cataract were randomly divided into two groups: Group A (24 patients, 30 eyes) underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation without viscoelastic agents, and group B (21 patients, 30 eyes) underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation with viscoelastic agents. The corneal endothelial cell counts, percentages of hexagonal cells, and central corneal thicknesses were evaluated at 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months after surgery. Results: There was no significant difference in preoperative basic characteristics between the two groups (p > 0.05). The postoperative corneal endothelial cell count and percentage of hexagonal cells in both groups decreased compared with preoperative values at 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months after surgery, and the decrease of group A was significantly lower than that of group B at all time points (p < 0.05). The central cornea thickness in both groups increased at 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months after surgery, and there were no significant difference in the change of central cornea thickness between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Compared with regular intraocular lens implantation, intraocular lens implantation without viscoelastic agents is less damaging to corneal endothelial cells, resulting in greater corneal safety.