[Accommodative intraocular lenses. Can synthetic lenses accommodate?]

Performance of the 1CU accommodating intraocular lens in relation to capsulorhexis size

PURPOSE

To assess the correlation between continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) size and visual outcomes in patients with an accommodating intraocular lens (IOL).

SETTING

Heidelberg IOL and Refractive Surgery Research Group, Department of Ophthalmology, Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

METHODS

Nineteen eyes had phacoemulsification and implantation of a 1CU accommodating IOL (HumanOptics AG). Three months after surgery, the uncorrected and best corrected distance and near visual acuities and the distance corrected near visual acuity were measured. Retroillumination photographs were taken to assess CCC size and centration and the amount of overlap between the CCC and IOL optic. The photographs were analyzed using Evaluation of Posterior Capsule Opacification system software.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 53.5 years (range 30 to 73 years). The mean uncorrected distance acuity improved from 0.05 preoperatively to 0.70 at 3 months and the best corrected near acuity, from 0.30 to 0.94. The mean postoperative distance corrected near acuity was 0.5 (range 0.1 to 1.0), which improved to 0.9 with near correction. The mean CCC size (4.3 mm) and amount of CCC decentration (0.35 mm) did not correlate with visual outcomes. However, there was a correlation between the amount of CCC-optic overlap (mean 35%; range 16% to 55%) and distance corrected near acuity (r = 0.641, P = .003). Distance corrected near acuity was better with less overlapping; that is, with a larger CCC.

CONCLUSIONS

A larger capsulorhexis with less CCC-optic overlapping gave better near visual outcomes. Results indicate that an overlap between 25% and 35%, which correlates with a CCC between 4.5 mm and 5.0 mm, provides the best capsule strength without compromising accommodation with the single-piece 1CU IOL.