Clinicopathologic study of ocular trauma in eyes with intraocular lenses

Data on 41 cases (37 intraocular lenses and four globes) of intraocular lenses explanted or expulsed after ocular trauma were retrieved from over 5,000 intraocular lenses and 1,200 globes. The age of the male and female donors varied significantly (male, 64.4 +/- 13.1 years; female, 75.5 +/- 12.6 years; P = .0334). Twenty-two were posterior chamber, 11 were anterior chamber, and eight were iris-fixated lenses. The mean implant durations were 0.66 +/- 0.9 years for posterior chamber intraocular lenses, 4.0 +/- 3.4 years for anterior chamber lenses, and 9.0 +/- 4.9 years for iris-fixated lenses. Accidental falling was the most common trauma in 14 of 21 cases (67%). In the posterior chamber intraocular lens group, trauma was more severe and resulted in rupture of the globe in 19 of 22 cases (86%) and expulsion of the intraocular lens in 15 of 22 cases (68%). Rupture usually occurred at the surgical wound, even when the trauma happened five years postoperatively. In contrast, most of the eyes with anterior chamber intraocular lenses and iris-fixated intraocular lenses did not rupture, but a minor trauma often resulted in intraocular lens dislocation and secondary complications that necessitated intraocular lens explantation. The pathologic findings were nonspecific (proteinaceous deposits, blood and pigment adherent to the intraocular lens). Severity of trauma and pathologic findings were not correlated. Posterior chamber intraocular lenses are more resistant to minor ocular trauma compared to anterior chamber and iris-fixated intraocular lenses.