Trypan blue deemed safe in vireoretinal surgery

According to data recently published in the Journal Retina, trypan blue (TB) doesn't cause injury to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) when used in vitreoretinal surgery.

Dr Ehab Abdelkader et al. from the Grampian University Hospitals-NHS Trust, Aberdeen, UK, examined the in vivo safety of TB in patients treated with TB-assisted internal limiting membrane or epiretinal membrane peeling. The study group comprised 21 eyes of 21 patients that had full-thickness macular hole and/or epiretinal membrane. Distance and near visual acuity (VA) were measured along with amplitude of P50 and N95 of the pattern electroretinogram and fundus autofluorescence preoperatively and 6 and 12 months postoperatively.

The researchers found that there was a statistically significant improvement in distance and near VA as well as P50 and N95 amplitude at both post-op follow-ups. Additionally, autofluorescence analysis proved that there was no damage to the RPE as a result of TB.

Based on the results it was concluded that TB does not cause harmful effects in vitreoretinal surgery.