New type of antidrying lens for vitreous surgery with a noncontact wide-angle viewing system.

Drying of the cornea during surgery, which causes poor visibility of the fundus, is one of the more serious problems when using a noncontact type wide-angle viewing system. We developed an antidrying corneal contact lens for use with this type of viewing system. The lens has a very thin meniscus made of polymethyl methacrylate with a large outer diameter. Following application of the viscoelastic material, the lens can be put on the cornea without using a contact lens fixation ring. The larger diameter and lightweight characteristics of our lens contributed to its overall stability. The smooth surface of this prototype lens was able to achieve an intraoperative view of good quality, not only by preventing the cornea from drying, but also by providing a smooth surface over the entire cornea.