A Novel Vitreous Substitute of Using a Foldable Capsular Vitreous Body Injected with Polyvinylalcohol Hydrogel

Abstract

Hydrogels may be the ideal vitreous substitutes due to their wonderful physical features and biocompatibility. However, their drawbacks, short residence time, and biodegradation in vivo, have led to the fact that none of them have been approved for clinical use. In this study, we developed a novel approach of using a foldable capsular vitreous body (FCVB) injected with polyvinylalcohol (PVA) hydrogel as a vitreous substitute for long-term tamponade. The 3% PVA hydrogel that was cross-linked by gamma irradiation showed good rheological and physical properties and had no toxicity in vitro. After 180 days retention, the 3% PVA hydrogel inside FCVB remained transparent and showed good viscoelasticity without biodegradation and showed good biocompatibility and retina support. This new approach may develop into a valuable tool to improve the stability performance of PVA hydrogel as a vitreous substitute and to extend the application function of FCVB for long-term implantation in vitreous cavity.

New eye phantom for ophthalmic surgery

“…The central vitreous contains the canal of cloquet, a central tubular structure constituting the main residual of the primary embryonic vitreous. 25 Unlike the results described by Pal et al, 26 the sample was not dried, and we obtained a homogeneous and transparent gel. The third element of the vitreous body is a thin layer of vitreous gel that encloses the central gel; they are discernible by the different orientation of the base collagen fibers.…”

Preliminary Study on Retinal Vascular and Oxygen-related Changes after Long-term Silicone Oil and Foldable Capsular Vitreous Body Tamponade

“…No significant changes in IOP were observed after 7, 14, 30, 60, 90 and 180 days, except for a slight decline at day 3 postoperatively in the two treated groups compared to the contralateral eyes, which may have resulted from the aqueous humour secretion decline caused by ciliary body dysfunction after lensectomy and vitrectomy surgeries1826. Maintaining normal IOP was essential in this study because the IOP directly influenced ocular perfusion pressure, which is closely correlated to blood flow to the retina.…”

“…In our previous study, most of the eyes were prone to developing cataracts after the FCVBs were implanted for a long time1826. In addition, cataracts were a common complication of long-term silicone oil tamponade.…”

Mechanical and Swelling Properties of Poly (vinyl alcohol) and Hyaluronic Acid Gels used in Biomaterial Systems - a Comparative Study

“…In vitreous materials the analysis is based on the resilience of the material, which is a function of tanδ 33 . A high value of damping indicates viscous behavior and very low value indicates the elasticity.…”