Effects of Intravitreal Injection of Sterile Chloramphenicol Eye Drops Following Vitreous Tap on the Endothelium of Donated Corneas

To evaluate the adverse effects of intravitreal injection of sterile chloramphenicol eye drops on corneal endothelial cells of donated corneas. 100 donor corneas were enrolled in the study. One eye of each donor underwent intravitreal injection of sterile chloramphenicol eye drops following vitreous tap and the fellow eyes were served as controls. After corneo-scleral excision, the corneal endothelium was examined with slitlamp biomicroscopy and confocal microscopy; results were compared with control eyes using paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed ranks test. No significant difference was noted in Descemet’s foldings (P= 0.785), endothelial cell density (P= 0.908), coefficient of variation (P= 0.801), and percentage of hexagonal cells (P= 0.370) between injected eyes and the control group. Intravitreal injection of sterile chloramphenicol eye drops in donated globes following diagnostic vitreous tap is not associated with adverse effects on the corneal endothelium.