COMPARISON OF FLUORINE-SURFACE-MODIFIED AND UNMODIFIED LENSES FOR IMPLANTATION IN PEDIATRIC APHAKIA

Purpose: To compare the postoperative reaction in pediatric aphakic ey es to intercapsular intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with fluorine- modified poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) IOLs and with unmodified IOL s. Setting: Pediatric Ophthalmology Unit, Purpan University Hospital, Toulouse, France. Methods: in this retrospective study, 107 consecutiv e eyes in 82 children were operated on for cataracts and intercapsular implantation. From January 1985 to December 1993, 87 eyes (Group 1) r eceived an all-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), single-piece IOL; dur ing 1994, 20 eyes (Group 2) received an IOL of the same design that ha d been fluorine surface modified. Mean age of the patients was 64.5 mo nths (range 15 days to 16 years). Postoperatively, each group was moni tored for immediate inflammatory response from the first to the eighth day and for secondary cicatricial response from 6 months to 1 year. R esults: There was no significant difference between the two groups in the early inflammatory response. Secondary cicatricial reaction was fo und more often in Group 1 in all age subgroups (P < .01), but especial ly 1 to 4 years (P < .02). Conclusion: Fluorine modification of PMMA I OLs is an effective and safe method to reduce the cicatricial response when IOL implantation is used to correct pediatric aphakia.