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Humidified air less stressful on cornea than dry air, lab study finds
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OSAKA, Japan — Using humidified air during fluid-air exchange seems to benefit the corneal endothelium, according to animal studies done here.
Researchers perfused the eyes of rabbits undergoing pars plana vitrectomy and lensectomy with either dry or humidified air during fluid-air exchange for designated durations. The dry air caused significant, immediate alterations in monolayer appearance, actin cytoskeleton and barrier function of corneal endothelium in the aphakic rabbit eyes. Humidified air largely prevented these phenomena.
The study was done by a group here at Osaka University led by Yasuo Tano, MD.
Cells exposed to humidified air were less stressed than cells exposed to dry air. Humidified air maintained the normal actin cytoskeleton throughout 20 minutes of fluid-air exchange.
The study is published in the July issue of American Journal of Ophthalmology.