J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  1988 Apr;29(2):257-264.

Changes of the Corneal Thickness, Intraocular Pressure and Corneal Endothelial Cell After Nd:YAG Laser Treatment of Rabbit's Lens Nucleus

• Yoo CS
• Park C
• Rhee SW

Abstract

The search for a less traumatic method of cataract removal through a small incision, is on going. One of the advantages of phacoemulsification is that it permits the removal of a cataract through a small incision than otherwise possible. The small incision allows the refractive error to be stabilized sooner and reduces the amount of induced postoperative astigmatism. But it may be traumatic to the endothelium, especially in cases with hard nucleus. There is a method using the Nd:YAG laser to preoperatively soften the nucleus of the cataract intracapsularly and thereby simplyfing the technique of phacoemulsification. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety of softening lens nucleus by Nd:YAG laser application for cataract operation, and we observed the change of corneal endothleium and IOP and corneal thickness according to varied intensity, and time of laser application. The authors attempted to soften the nucleus using the Q-switched Nd:YAG laser without opening the anterior capsule. The laser was focused into the center of the nucleus and 100, 150 and 200 laser shots were made with the power of 5 mJ, 7 mJ, 10 mJ and 15 mJ. The results were as follows: 1. The corneal thickness was increased to the peak 24 hours after Nd:YAG laser application in cases of 150 and 200 laser shots with 15 mJ (P<0.05). 2. Intraocular pressure was not changed in any group after Nd:YAG laser application. 3. In morphological study with scanning electron microscope, the cases of 200 laser shots with 10 mJ and 150 laser shots with 15 mJ showed moderatly decreased the number of microvilli and partial seperation of the intercellular junctions. The cases of 200 laser shots with 15 mJ showed markedly decreased the number of microvilli and partial seperation of the intercellular junctions.

MeSH Terms

Astigmatism
Cataract
Endothelial Cells*
Endothelium
Intercellular Junctions
Intraocular Pressure*
Microvilli
Phacoemulsification
Refractive Errors