Objective: To compare the efficiency of eye irrigation solution (balanced salt solution: BSS) stored in a refrigerator and airconditioned room to reduce the number of corneal endothelial cell loss during the process of phacoemulsification.
Material and Method: Porcine corneal endothelial cells (PCEC) isolated from porcine eyes were used as a model. The porcine eyes were obtained from a local slaughterhouse within 6 h after death and PCEC were cultured as standard method. The percentage of cell survival was evaluated by MTT assay.
Results: The PCEC was successfully grown in the standard culturing system. The growth curve of PCEC demonstrated that log phase was reached in 3-6 days. The evaluation of heat effect (40-60°C) to PCEC survival was shown that cells death was found at 55 and 60°C which the percentage of cell survival reduced to 30% at 60°C, 180 sec. Further observation on the efficiency of BSS stored in different conditions, refrigeration (8°C) and air-conditioned room (25°C) to PCEC survival was revealed that the number of cell survival increased from 40% to almost 70% when using refrigerated BSS as irrigation solution, while from air-conditioned BSS only at 55%.
Conclusion: From using PCEC as a model and mimic the process of irrigation in phacoemulsification, it was found that the eye irrigation solution (balanced salt solution: BSS) stored in the refrigerator had a better result in helping protection the corneal endothelial cell loss from heat damaged than BSS stored in air-conditioned room.

Keywords: Corneal endothelial cells, Balanced salt solution, Heat, Phacoemulsification