Hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens exchange: Five-year experience

To evaluate clinical outcomes of opacified SC60B-0UV intraocular lens (IOL) (MDR, Inc.) and clear SC60B-0UV IOL exchange.

Department of Ophthalmology, Queen's Hospital, Burton-on-Trent, United Kingdom.

In a prospective audit, 149 patients with 152 SC60B-0UV hydrophilic acrylic IOLs were monitored over 5 years. Perioperative complications were evaluated. The best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, subjective quality of vision, and VF-14 scores were compared preoperatively and postoperatively.

Ninety-eight IOLs developed opacification; 52 IOLs were exchanged between February 1999 and October 2004. The lens exchange procedure was uneventful in 39 eyes (75%). Perioperative complications included zonular dehiscence and posterior capsule rupture in 12 eyes (23.1%), total capsule-IOL extraction in 4 eyes (7.7%), iridodialysis in 3 eyes (5.8%), hyphema in 2 eyes (3.8%), and retained haptics in 5 eyes (9.6%). The mean logMAR visual acuity and mean VF-14 scores improved significantly after IOL exchange (P < .01). Forty-seven patients (90.4%) reported improvement in the subjective quality of vision after IOL exchange. However, after the exchange, visual acuity worsened in 5 patients (9.6%) and subjective quality of vision worsened in 3 patients (5.8%); the VF-14 scores decreased in 5 (14.7%) of the 34 patients tested.

Visual function and quality of life were better after IOL exchange. However, poor outcomes in some patients mandate an extensive informed consent procedure for clear IOL exchange.