Don't be afraid of the dark - OCT angiography through a black intraocular lens

To report a case in which optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCT-A) allowed imaging of the posterior pole in a patient fitted with a black occlusive intraocular lens (IOL).

Following retinal central artery occlusion, a 52-year-old patient suffered from disturbing residual light perception. Occlusive contact lenses blocked the light insufficiently, so that the patient had to rely on an eye patch for relief of symptoms. After no neovascularization had formed during an observation period of 12 months, a black IOL (Morcher 85F) was implanted, blocking wavelengths in the visible spectrum but allowing transmission in the near-infrared spectrum. Slit lamp photography, OCT and OCT-A were performed pre- and postoperatively. Postoperatively, slit lamp photography could no longer provide images of the posterior pole, proving the effective blockade of wavelengths in the visible light spectrum. In contrast, transmission in the near-infrared spectrum allowed for OCT and OCT-A imaging of the fundus. The complete suppression of the disturbing perception of light succeeded only temporarily.

The implantation of a black IOL does not prevent the imaging of the retinal microvasculature by OCT-A. Black IOLs can therefore be considered even if continued monitoring of the vascular situation of the posterior pole is required.