Biomarkers Of Pain And Inflammation During Second Eye Cataract Surgery Under Topical Anesthesia- Pilot Study

Published 2025 - 43rd Congress of the ESCRS

Reference: FP24.10 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/ywbq-7335

Authors: Bo Zhao* ¹ , Bo Yuan ¹ , Huiqin Zhang ¹ , Yanjia Li ¹ , Xuefei Yang ¹ , Qian Zhang ¹ , Tong Wang ¹

¹Tianjin Aier Hospital,Tianjin,China

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine the variation in biomarkers and clinical parameters related to ocular pain and inflammation during cataract surgery in both eyes consecutively operated.

Setting

Hospital Clínco Universitario de Valladolid.

IOBA. Universidad de Valladoldi.

Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañon.

Methods

A prospective, cohort, comparative open study was conducted in 11 patients scheduled for elective cataract surgery in both eyes with topical ocular anesthesia. Patients were evalutared both eyes before and during surgery 1-day and 1-month after surgery. Questionnaires were self administrated before and after the surgery; State Trait Anxiety Inventory ( STAI) and Ocular Surface Disease Index ( OSDI). Ophthalmological parameters related to the state of the ocular surface and inflammation, perioperative monitoring of the intervention, intensity of ultrasound of the phacoemulsification device and stimate levels of 17 cytokines and nerve growth factor ( NGF) in tear film were also registered at different times of analyisis.

Results

63.6% of the patients reported that the second intervention was more painful than the first one, despite having a lower level of anxiety (p <0.01). Preoperative Fractalkine and all times MCP1 (chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 2; CCL2) in tears were higher in second eye (p<0.05) and in aqueous humor, a decrease of NGF in the operated second eye has been detected (p <0.05). No significant differences were found in the other cytokines, or in the clinical, physiological and surgical parameters.

Conclusions

This study reveals that the tear expression of Fractalkine and MCP1, chemokines related to pain related to inflammation, are significantly increased in contralateral eyes after cataract surgery of the first eye. In addition, there are lower levels of NGF in aqueous humor. These findings may explain why the second eye surgery is more painful despite the fact that patients have less anxiety prior to surgery.