TITLE:
Comparative Assessment of Post-Operative Eye Pain and Ocular Surface Inflammation of 9-0 Nylon and 8-0 Polyglactin 910 Sutures Following Sclerotomy Wound Closure after Pars Plana Vitrectomy
AUTHORS:
Lhacha Wangdi, Wan Haslina Wan Abdul Halim, Meng Hsien Yong, Ainal Adlin Naffi, Mae-Lynn Catherine Bastion
KEYWORDS:
Sclerotomy, Pars Plana Vitrectomy, Wound Suture, Ocular Pain, Ocular Surface Inflammation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ophthalmology,
Vol.16 No.3,
August
3,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: In pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), three-port sclerotomy wounds are invariably created and sutured when there is leakage. Absorbable sutures such as 8-0 polyglactin 910 (Vicryl) are preferred because of their self-absorbable nature, however suture reactions can occur. The aim of this study was to compare the post-operative eye pain and ocular surface inflammation of two types of sutures following sclerotomy wound closure. Method: A randomized clinical trial was conducted whereby 72 patients received either 9-0 nylon or 8-0 polyglactin 910 for the sclerotomy wound closure following PPV. The participants were provided with standard post-operative care and assessed for eye pain, ocular surface inflammation, suture integrity, and suture-specific complications such as abscess formation on post-operative days (PODs) 1, 7, and 30. Their pain was measured based on the visual analog scale. Ocular surface inflammation was measured based on slit lamp biomicroscopy and scored as 1 = mild wound hyperemia-redness of surrounding conjunctiva, episcleral, or scleral tissues, 2 = moderate wound edema-subconjunctival edema, episcleral, or scleral edema, or 3 = severe wound hypertrophy or papillary or granulomatous hypertrophy of the conjunctiva, episclera, or scleral tissue. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess the mean and median scores for eye pain, ocular surface inflammation, and suture integrity, with a P value of Results: The mean pain score and the ocular surface inflammation score for the patients who received the 8-0 polyglactin 910 sutures were higher than the scores for those who received the 9-0 nylon sutures during all post-operative follow-ups. Suture-induced ocular surface inflammation was significantly lower in the 9-0 nylon group, especially on POD 1 (P = 0.007, U = 438, with medium effect size; r = 0.45) and POD 7 (P = 0.00, U = 331 with a large effect size; r = 0.64). While 97.22% of the 9-0 nylon sutures were intact on POD 30, the 8-0 polyglactin 910 suture started to disintegrate as early as POD 7 and by POD 30, 33.56% of the 8-0 polyglactin 910 sutures were either loose or broken and required removal. No other suture-related complications, such as suture abscess, wound leakage, or hypotony, were observed in either group. Conclusion: After sclerotomy closure following PPV, 9-0 nylon sutures caused less eye pain and ocular surface inflammation than 8-0 polyglactin 910 sutures.