Sealed capsular irrigation system may help prevent posterior capsular opacification

Paris—A new sealed capsular irrigation system (PerfectCapsule, Milvella Pty. Ltd.) allows selective application of osmotic or pharmacologic agents in the capsular bag without affecting the surrounding tissue.

Gerd Auffarth, MD, of the University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, introduced the device at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. The device is particularly useful in pediatric patients and patients undergoing clear lens extraction.

The system consists of a 7-mm silicon sealing device that can be applied on the anterior chamber with a capsulorhexis of 5 mm. Dr. Auffarth explained that the device has an irrigation line and an aspiration line to which a vacuum can be applied. After the capsular bag is sealed, it can be irrigated as desired with different substances.

In a prospective randomized trial, Dr. Auffarth and colleagues used the device in 19 patients (mean age, 69 years).

"In all patients, the system was used without complication," he said.

The investigators also found that the endothelial cell count was not adversely affected and corneal pachymetry did not differ from that of the patient's fellow control eye. The visual acuity developed normally over 3 months. There was a higher incidence of fibrosis and anterior capsule whitening in the control eyes compared with the eyes in which the sealed capsular irrigation system was used.