OVDs are sometimes considered commodities in cataract surgery, with one cohesive OVD being interchangeable with another. However, that is not always the case. Providing an optimal intraocular space for surgeons and patient comfort and easy aspiration at the end of the surgery is vital when choosing the right OVD. Reducing operation time and ensuring no rise in intra-ocular pressure (IOP) are also crucial.  

The capacity of an OVD to remain intact and to adhere to itself - its cohesiveness - is essential to create and maintain the intraocular space. For easy withdrawal, a long molecular structure is needed.

How the gel is manufactured also affects its rheology, with many different technologies available to produce bio-fermented viscoelastics. Our expertise at BOHUS has allowed us to create Minivisc^® Plus, a market-leading bio-fermented cohesive OVD with exceptional cohesivity and molecular weight (3-4MDa).

Minivisc^® Plus is a highly cohesive OVD, which is the result of a combination of a high concentration of HA (1.4%), its high molecular weight (3-4mDa), and BOHUS’s proprietary manufacturing process.

The shear viscosity rates for Minivisc^® Plus and MicroVisc, BOHUS’s legacy, animal-derived product (no longer in production) show their rheology to be almost identical, with high viscosity at low shear rates, but they are also pseudoplastic, being more dispersive at higher rates.

These properties combine to make Minivisc^® Plus an ideal OVD for creating and maintaining adequate intraocular space and stabilising ocular tissue during eye surgery, especially during capsulorhexis and IOL implantation.

Minivisc^® Plus owes its viscosity to the high HA concentration of 1.4%, its high molecular weight, and BOHUS’s proprietary manufacturing process. Every stage in the production process impacts the gel structure, and molecular weight is measured for each specific batch, post-sterilisation. Minivisc^® Plus has a molecular weight of 3-4 MDa.