Anterior capsular shrinkage and intraocular pressure reduction after capsulorhexis

A significantly lower intraocular pressure level was found 2 months after in-the-bag implantation of 4 different posterior-chamber lenses in a consecutive series of operations involving 401 eyes. The anterior capsular opening was achieved with either an intact continuous circular capsulorhexis (349) or a capsulorhexis with one radial tear (52). The typical shrinkage of the anterior capsule following a continuous capsulorhexis was hypothesized to be an essential part of the pressure-lowering mechanism by traction on the ciliary body via the zonula. However, a direct correlation between the degree of anterior capsular shrinkage and the degree of pressure reduction in glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous eyes could not be established. The reduction was equal in all shrinkage subgroups. Thus, the most likely explanation for intraocular pressure reduction after intracapsular implantation should be sought not in mechanical but in non-mechanical (i.e. biochemical) alterations and influences.