[Intraocular lenses - aphorisms of an operating practitioner (author's transl)]

The implantation of an intraocular lens is an almost ideal solution to manage monocular cataracts. We recommend this operation if medically indicated; it is technically more difficult, needs microsurgical skill and general anesthesia and therefore should be limited to a reduced number of highly qualified operation-teams. Uncontrolled enlargement of indications will result in higher complication-rates. As we do not yet know on complications due to alteration of foreign intraocular material after many years, we rather prefer to operate double-sided cataracts in the conventional way, specially in younger patients. Regarding to the global problems of curable (operable) blindness, we think that young eye-surgeons should be trained for conventional cataract operations without using microscope.