Sodium hyaluronate is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring biopolymer that has important functions in many parts of the body. It is a glycosaminoglycan consisting of repeating disaccharide units of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and sodium-D-glucuronate. Solutions of sodium hyaluronate have been used for many years in ophthalmic surgery, to Β¬ maintain the shape of the eye, to cover surgical instruments and to protect the corneal endothelium from damage. They have unique physical properties that make them ideal for use in the treatment of sensations of ocular dryness. The most important property of sodium hyaluronate solutions is their viscoelasticity; this property allows such solutions, when instilled into the eye, to behave differently during and between blinks. During blinks, shear stress causes the molecules of sodium hyaluronate in a solution to align with one another. Posted from China - Zhejiang on 28 August, 2008
