Effect of intraocular lens and anterior capsule opening type on posterior capsule opacification

Purpose: To determine the effect of intraocular lens (IOL) type and anterio r capsulectomy technique on the incidence of posterior capsule opacificatio n. Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty, University of Ondoku z Mayis, Samsun, Turkey. Methods: Three hundred two eyes of 294 patients were examined retrospective ly after IOL implantation in the capsular bag performed between February 19 91 and November 1996. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to IOL type: poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA); heparin-surface-modified PMMA (HSM PMMA); plate-haptic silicone. Envelope capsulectomy or continuous curviline ar capsulorhexis (CCC) was used. Mean follow-up was 27 months (range 12 to 33 months). Results: Posterior capsule opacification developed in 47 cases (15.6%): 21. 7% in the PMMA lens group after planned extracapsular cataract extraction ( ECCE), 17.4% in the HSM PMMA lens group after planned ECCE, and 7.7% in the plate-haptic silicone lens group after phacoemulsification. Posterior caps ule opacification occurred less in patients who had anterior capsulectomy u sing the CCC technique (11.5%) than in those having an envelope capsulectom y (24.5%) (P < .05). Posterior capsule opacification was significantly less in eyes with a capsular-bag-fixated plate-haptic silicone lens than in tho se with a PMMA or HSM PMMA IOL (P < .05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the anterior capsulectomy techniqu e and the IOL type influence the incidence of PCO. (C) 1999 ASCRS and ESCRS .