[Management of posteriorly dislocated lenses: a report on 18 cases]

The posterior dislocation of the lens is a relatively frequent complication of ocular trauma. Treatment is medical, surgical and optical. The authors present a retrospective study of 18 patients (18 eyes) operated between January 1990 and December 1999 for a posterior dislocation of the lens. The age of the patients varied from 9 to 60 years, with a mean of 46 years. The etiology of the dislocation was an eye contusion in 15 cases and spontaneous dislocation in 3 cases. Vitrectomy was performed in all the patients, followed by extraction of the lens using one of two methods Results were good in both groups, with a final visual acuity better than 1/10 in 11 cases out of 18. Complications were substantially fewer than when using old techniques and included 4 cases of hypertonia, 3 cases of corneal edema, 2 cases of retinal detachment, and 1 case of macular edema. All of these complications were treated medically and/or surgically. The authors discuss the advantages and disadvantages of all lens extraction techniques and the benefits of the use of perfluorocarbon liquid in the treatment of the dislocated lens.