Postoperative inflammatory response to phacoemulsification and implantation of 2 types of foldable IOLs in pseudoexfoliation syndrome

Background: Patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PD() are known to hav e a greater degree of inflammation after cataract surgery when compared to patients with senile cataract in otherwise healthy eyes. We performed a ran domised, prospective study to compare the influence of the intra-ocular len s (IOL) material of two different IOLs on the postoperative inflammation of the anterior chamber. Patients and Methods: 28 eyes of 27 patients with PEX and cataract and 29 e yes of 29 control patients were included in this study. The IOLs used were the hydrophilic, acrylic lens: Bausch&Lomb-Hydroview(R) and the hydrophobic , acrylic Alcon Acrysof(R) MA60 lens. The patients were examined preoperati vely as well as on day 1, 3, 7 and 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery using t he Laser flare-cell meter (LFCM) KOWA(R) FC 1000. Results: The preoperative flare and cell values were significantly higher i n PEX eyes as compared to the control group. The values decreased after abo ut 1 month to reach values comparable to those in the control group. Over t he six months period there was no significant difference between the values of both lenses in the PEX group except on the first postoperative day wher e the flare and cell values were higher in the Acrysof(R)-lens group. When comparing both groups with the Hydroview(R)-lens there was also no signific ant difference, except on day 7, between the PEX group and the control grou p up to 6 months after surgery. When comparing both groups with the Acrysof (R)-lens, there was a significant difference between the PEX group and the control group until 1 month after surgery. Conclusion: Although PEX-eyes had higher flare and cell values up to one mo nth after surgery, we could not determine a significant difference, except on the first postoperative day, between both IOLs. A significant difference was evident between the PEX and control group in eyes with an Acrysof(R)-l ens. Using this clinical model, the LFCM highlights only certain aspects of biocompatibility of different lens types.