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® OCULAR SURGERY NEWS US EDITION ® JUNE 2009 A SLACK Incorporated® publication Gel bandage assists in wound closure after ocular surgery KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — A gellike ocular bandage applied after surgery may assist with wound closure in lieu of sutures. The I-Zip Adherent Ocular Bandage (I-Therapeutix) is a synthetic hydrogel made up of more than 85% water that is mixed into a gel formula, similar to an epoxy, and applied to the corneal surface over an open incision, such as after a cataract incision. When first applied, the substance is blue to assist with visualization, but it turns clear as it congeals into a protective barrier over the ocular incision. “It’s like a soft contact lens on the surface of the lens,“ Y. Ralph Chu, MD, said at Kiawah Eye 2009. In a small pilot study of 20 patients at two sites, Dr. Chu said that the ocular bandage remained in place more effectively after 24 hours compared with a soft collagen shield. The ocular bandage was as comfortable, in terms of pain, as the soft collagen shield, he said. “Most of the time, material lasts 3 to 5 days. Only trace amounts were present beyond 7 days,” Dr. Chu said, who added that no adverse events were reported. The product is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in neurosurgery and vascular surgery. A phase 3 trial has been initiated to test its applicability in ocular surgery, Dr. Chu said. Reprinted from OSN SuperSite, June 2009 Copyright © 2009, SLACK Incorporated. All rights reserved. OSN_GelBandage.indd 1 6/25/2009 1:56:48 PM