Aqueous humor redox potential in pseudoexfoliation syndrome

Abstract

Abstract Purpose To determine the overall oxidative status of the aqueous humor in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome, by measuring the reduction‐oxidation (redox) potential in the aqueous samples. Methods Samples were collected during cataract extraction from 13 patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome and 22 normal patients. A platinum electrode together with a reference electrode Ag/AgCl/KCl was used for the measurement of the apparent redox potential in the aqueous humor. Ten measurements were taken every five minutes from the acquisition of the sample and the average value of the measurements was recorded. The independent samples t‐test was used to compare aqueous redox potential between the study and control group. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results The redox potential was found significantly higher in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome than in normal patients (p<0.05). Conclusion Measurements of redox potential is an accurate, easy, time‐saving method for evaluating the oxidative situation in the aqueous humor. Redox potential was found significantly higher in the aqueous humor of the study group. These results support the role of increased oxidative stress in the development of pseudoexfoliation syndrome and suggest for the first time in the field of Ophthalmology a direct and convenient technique for the determination of the oxidative status in aqueous humor.