Flanged Intrascleral Intraocular Lens Fixation with Double-Needle Technique

To report the clinical outcomes of a new technique for transconjunctival intrascleral fixation of an intraocular lens (IOL).

Prospective, noncomparative, interventional case series.

One hundred eyes of 97 consecutive patients with aphakia, dislocated IOL, or subluxated crystalline lens who underwent posterior chamber sutureless implantation of an IOL were studied.

Two angled incisions parallel to the limbus were made by 30-gauge thin-wall needles. Haptics of an IOL were externalized with the needles and cauterized to make a flange of the haptics. The flange of the haptics were pushed back and fixed into the scleral tunnels.

Best-corrected visual acuity (VA), corneal endothelial cell density, IOL tilt, and complications were determined.

The IOLs were fixed with exact centration and axial stability. The mean preoperative best-corrected VA was 0.25 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) units; after surgery, it improved significantly to 0.11 logMAR, 0.09 logMAR, 0.12 logMAR, and 0.04 logMAR at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P = 0.03, and P = 0.10, respectively). The mean corneal endothelial cell density decreased from 2341 cells/mm² before surgery to 2313 cells/mm², 2240 cells/mm², 2189 cells/mm², and 2244 cells/mm² at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.01, and P = 0.17, respectively). The mean IOL tilt was 3.4°±2.5°. The postoperative complications included iris capture by the IOL in 8 eyes (8%), vitreous hemorrhage in 5 eyes (5%), and cystoid macular edema in 1 eye (1%). There were no incidents of postoperative retinal detachment, endophthalmitis, or IOL dislocation.

We have developed a new technique for intrascleral IOL fixation. The flanged IOL fixation technique is a simple and minimally invasive method for achieving good IOL fixation with firm haptic fixation.