Corneal Endothelial Safety of Intracameral Preservative-free 1% Xylocaine

Purpose : To evaluate the effect of intracameral preservative-free 1% xylocaine on the corneal endothelium as an adjuvant to topical anaesthesia during phacoemulsification and Acrysof foldable IOL implantation. Material & Methods: This is a prospective, controlled, randomised, double-masked study. 106 patients with soft to moderately dense (Grade 1-3) senile cataract and corneal endothelial cell density of >1500/mm2 were randomised to the xylocaine group (n=53) and control group(n=53). Central endothelial specular microscopy and ultrasound corneal pachymetry were performed preoperatively. On the first postoperative day the eyes were evaluated for corneal oedema and Descemet′s folds. Ultrasound corneal pachymetry was performed at 1, 3 and 12 months. Specular microscopy was performed at 3 and 12 months. Cell loss was expressed as a percentage of preoperative cell density. Six patients could not complete one year follow-up. Chi-square and paired t test (2 tail) statistical tests were applied for analysis. Results: Four (7.54%) patients in the xylocaine group and 5 (9.43%) in the control group had a few Descemet′s folds associated with mild central stromal oedema. Corneal thickness increased from 549.3µ ± 37.2µ to 555.5µ ± 36.5µ in the xylocaine group and from 553.1µ ± 36.2µ to 559.3µ ± 40.5µ in the control group at the one-month postoperative visit. Thickness returned to the preoperative level in xylocaine group 549.6µ ± 34.5µ and control group 554.7µ ± 41.1µ at three months. (P=0.484) The percentage of cell loss was 4.47 ± 2.53% in the xylocaine group and 4.49 ± 3.09 % in the control group at one year. (P=0.97) Conclusion: Intracameral preservative-free 1% xylocaine does not appear to affect corneal endothelium adversely during phacoemulsification.