MORPHOLOGIC COMPATIBILITY OF INTRAOCULAR-LENS HAPTICS AND THE LENS CAPSULE

Purpose: To evaluate the mechanical relationship between the intraocul ar lens (IOL) haptic and the capsular bag by quantitatively analyzing the fit of the haptic with the capsule equator and the capsular bag de formity induced by the implanted lens haptics. Setting: Division of Mo rphogenesis, Department of Developmental Biology, National institute f or Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan. Methods: Following implantation of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) ring in three excised human capsular bags with continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC), IOLs with diffe rent overall lengths or haptic designs were implanted in the bags and photographed. The straight length of the area of contact between the h aptic and the capsule equator on the photographs was measured to provi de a quantitative index of in-the-bag fixation and the length from the external margin of the PMMA ring to the external margin of the loop a long the maximal diameter of the capsular bag, to indicate the quantit ative degree of capsular deformity induced by an IOL. Results: An IOL with modified-C loops produced better fit along the capsule equator an d less deformity than an IOL with modified-J loops, and an IOL with an overall length of 12.0 or 12.5 mm produced a sufficiently good fit an d less distortion of the capsular bag than an IOL with an overall leng th over 13.0 mm.Conclusion: An IOL with modified-C loops and an overal l length of 12.0 or 12.5 mm is adequate for in-the-bag implantation fo llowing CCC.