Article
Successful intraocular lens implantation depends on posterior capsule opacification prevention
Results of a recent study examining adult autopsy globes show that implants fabricated from hydrophobic acrylic material are associated with a much higher rate of posterior capsule opacification than previously thought.
"We now know that the PCO rate is [about] 35%, no different from many other lenses," said Brian E. Zaugg, a medical student at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and research fellow with the David J. Apple, MD, Laboratory for Ophthalmic Devices Research, Sullivan's Island, SC. "This puts into question the arbitrary use of only one IOL design in children.
"Our study shows that the postoperative time is actually the major factor associated with PCO development," Zaugg added. "Also considering that, when compared with adult eyes undergoing cataract surgery, pediatric eyes exhibit more rapid lens epithelial cell (LEC) proliferation and the IOL remains in the eye for a much longer duration, pediatric implants will have a much lesser chance to ward off PCO.
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