Over a period of 1 year, a new sodium hyaluronate preparation (IAL) has been studied in eye surgery. The study included 18 cases of extracapsular cataract extraction with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation and 19 cases of penetrating keratoplasty. The trial has shown that this substance presents all the advantages described for use of viscoelastic substances in ocular surgery. The use of this sodium hyaluronate preparation appeared to decrease the risk of the postsurgical ocular hypertension described for analogous substances with different physicochemical characteristics.