[Controlled clinical study of two viscoelastic substances].

Viscoelastic substances in correlation with intraocular hypotony have gained great significance in low-irritation cataract surgery within the last few years. The differences in their chemical properties, and thus in their effect on the eye, formed the grounds for a controlled clinical study comparing sodium hyaluronic acid, representing the group of glucosamine glykanes, and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), representing the group of cellulose ethers. Two hundred cataract patients, excluding those suffering from diabetes mellitus, glaucoma and severe corneal damage, were examined on the 1st, 2nd and 5th postoperative day, as well as 4 weeks postoperatively. Statistically, no significant differences were found as regards IOP and postoperative anterior chamber irritation. From the economical point of view, methocel (HPMC) should be preferred to sodium hyaluronic acid in routine cataract surgery due to the lower costs.