Indocyanine green staining in traumatic cataract

We report the first case of indocyanine green (ICG) being used in an eye with an anterior capsule that was not completely intact. We found that ICG seems to have a selective affinity for the anterior capsule over cortical lens material. The patient had a corneal perforation with a wire and developed endophthalmitis requiring pars plana vitrectomy with intravitreal antibiotics. He subsequently developed a white traumatic cataract with an anterior capsule tear. Five months after the injury, he had cataract extraction. Indocyanine green was used to better visualize the anterior capsule before capsulotomy. The anterior capsule stained green, but the cortical material exposed to ICG did not stain.