To measure leaking pressures, an 18-gauge butterfly needle was
connected by plastic tubing to a water bottle. The inner pressure in
the bottle was controlled by a hand-pumped sphygmomanometer.
Nonpreserved cadaveric eyes were defrosted in room-temperature water.
The butterfly needle was inserted in the vitreous cavity through
equatorial sclera, and the eye was pressurized to 25 to 30 mm Hg. The
corneal epithelium was then removed at the wound site, and a caliper
set on 5 mm used to mark the extent of the incision on equatorial
sclera, perpendicular to the limbus. All incisions were placed
equidistant from the limbus, and areas of blue or thin sclera were
avoided. A perpendicular perforating incision was made with a 15°
blade. Incisions were made into the vitreous cavity and extended to the
full length using Vannas scissors. The glue was applied in a
thin layer to the surface of the wound with a tuberculin syringe and a
30-gauge needle. A small amount was injected within the wound. Argon
blue-green laser (488–514 nm; Spectrum K3, HGM Medical Lasers, South
Salt Lake City, UT), at a setting of 0.6 W, 2-mm-diameter spot size,
was applied to the wound for 60 to 120 seconds in a continuous back and
forth manner using a handheld fiberoptic probe. The exact power output
of the fiber was measured using a power meter (model 210; Coherent,
Palo Alto, CA). Argon laser goggles (Glendale Protective Technologies,
Lakeland, FL) were worn by the operator, which allowed viewing of the
fluorescence from the c e6 (emission 670 nm). To
set the remaining adhesive on the scleral surface, which surrounded the
wound, additional laser was applied until loss of fluorescence of the
dye, which took another 30 to 45 seconds.