Visthesia

Visthesia is an **ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD)** that uniquely combines a **cohesive viscoelastic agent, sodium hyaluronate** (1% or 1.5%) with the **local anesthetic lidocaine** (1%) for use primarily in cataract surgery (phacoemulsification). It is designed to create and maintain space in the anterior chamber, protect ocular tissues (including the corneal endothelium) during surgery, and provide intraoperative pain relief by delivering the anesthetic directly to the ocular tissues. Developed and offered by Zeiss, Visthesia is marketed as the first OVD to offer ancillary anesthesia and viscoelastic in a single solution, reflecting the need for both patient comfort and surgical efficiency. The unique combination allows for reduced intraoperative pain compared to standard OVDs, though some studies point to a greater loss of corneal endothelial cells and increased macular thickness relative to OVDs without anesthetic. Visthesia is available as a viscous-cohesive solution for intracameral use and as topical ampules for preoperative application[1][3][4][5][7].

Brand names

Visthesia

Other names

Visthesia OVD