INTRODUCTION: Descemet's membrane detachment is a rare but serious complication following cataract surgery. Extensive detachments that affect the visual axis may result in poor vision and require penetrating corneal grafts. Some alternatives have been used to reattach Descemet's membrane: air bubble, transcorneal sutures and intracameral viscoelastic gel plus SF6 or C3F8 gas. PURPOSE: To describe the use of non-expanding (16%) intracameral C3F8 to reattach Descemet's membrane, in six patients, following cataract surgery. METHODS: The patient's mean age was 71.3 ± 9.3. Four of the patients were females and two masculine. Immediately afters the gas injection the patient was submitted to slit-lamp evaluation to verify the position of Descemet's membrane. The patients who had eyes with central or superior detachments were told to sit upright for two days. The patients whose eyes had inferior detachments were asked to lie on their back. RESULTS: All patients had successful reattachment of Descemet's membrane after the gas injection. We observed increase in intraocular pressure in one case. The corneal edema regressed after the second day with total resolution by the fourth day. Visual acuity improved in all cases after regression of the edema and remained stable after forty-five days. CONCLUSION: The use of non-expanding C3F8 alone for reattaching Descemet's membrane is reported for the first time in the Brazilian literature. Improvement in visual acuity is fast, the method is safe, effective and easily performed under topical anesthesia.
Cataract extraction; Descemet's membrane; Fluorocarbons; Corneal edema; Injections
