Heparin surface modified intraocular lenses in uveitis

A retrospective analysis of the results of cataract surgery using heparin surface modified intraocular lenses (HSM-IOL) performed on patients with uveitis between August 1989 and July 1993 was undertaken. In total, 32 eyes of 28 patients with various types of uveitis underwent extracapsular cataract extraction and implantation of a posterior chamber HSM-IOL. In four patients, cataract extraction was combined with trabeculectomy. The post-operative follow-up period ranged from two to 51 months (average 16 months). The visual acuity improved in 31 of 32 eyes (96.8%) with 28 eyes (87.5%) seeing 6/18 or better. In four eyes (12.5%), the visual acuity was only 6/60 due to longstanding, pre-operative cystoid macular oedema. Posterior synechiae developed in eight eyes (25%), inflammatory deposits were noticed on the IOL surface in five eyes (15.6%), and three eyes (9.3%) required YAG laser posterior capsulotomy. These results suggest that HSM lenses are associated with minimal post-operative complications and appear safe to be used in human uveitic eyes.