Related Experiment Videos
Preventive effect of a second-generation silicone intraocular lens on posterior capsule opacification
1Nishi Eye Hospital, Osaka, Japan. okihiro@nishi-ganka.or.jp
Purpose:
To compare the preventive effect of a second-generation silicone intraocular lens (IOL) on posterior capsule opacification (PCO) with that of a soft acrylic IOL.
Setting:
Jinshikai Medical Foundation, Nishi Eye Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
Methods:
After phacoemulsification, a silicone IOL (PhacoFlex II) was implanted in 1 eye and an acrylic IOL (AcrySof) in the contralateral eye of 5 rabbits.
Results:
The posterior view 3 weeks after surgery showed slightly more PCO in 3 eyes with the PhacoFlex II lens than in eyes with the AcrySof IOL, with the PCO obscuring the iris structures. In 2 eyes with an AcrySof IOL, slightly more PCO was seen. Histopathological examination revealed that a bend and complex folds in the posterior capsule were formed with both the PhacoFlex II and AcrySof IOLs. However, the capsular bend formed by the PhacoFlex II lens, which was caused by its blunt edge, was not as sharp as that with the AcrySof IOL and more PCO was seen in all eyes with a PhacoFlex II lens.
Conclusions:
Capsular bend formation does not necessarily require a sharp optic edge. A truncated optic rim of a certain thickness appears to form a bend. The capsule-bending does not appear to be an all-or-nothing effect. There seems to be a transition. That a capsular bend forms despite a blunt rather than a sharp optic edge may explain why the second-generation PhacoFlex II IOL prevents PCO better than first-generation and PMMA IOLs.