Advantages and limitations of current soft intraocular lenses

We report our clinical experience with six soft intraocular lenses: (1) STAAR silicone, (2) CooperVision/Schlegel silicone, (3) IOLAB silicone, (4) Allergan Medical Optics (AMO) silicone, (5) Fyodorov silicone, and (6) Alcon hydrogel (IOGEL). We found that these soft intraocular lenses have several common design problems. The single-size design of five of the six soft lenses can lead to a windshield-wiper decentration effect in lenses too small for larger eyes. We observed several instances in which the one-piece lenses became decentered, subluxed, and vaulted anteriorly against the iris or posteriorly away from the iris as postoperative capsulozonular changes occurred. We found that the insertion methods for these soft lenses need refining to reduce the risk of intraocular damage and wound stretching if the lenses are to be folded and inserted through a small 3.0 mm to 3.5 mm incision. The surface and physical characteristics of these lenses may also require further study. We observed folding grooves, sebacium deposits, and rust from the insertion instrument on some lenses inside the postoperative eye and pigment dispersion associated with hydrogel lenses. We conclude that small diameter polymethylmethacrylate implants are the best choice for small incision cataract surgery at this time.