Anterior chamber IOLs lasts longer

Anterior chamber intraocular lenses (IOLs) last twice as long as posterior chamber IOLs, before they need to be replaced, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Frederico F. Marques and colleagues from the Complexe Hospitalar Padre Bento de Guarulhos, Brazil, reviewed the outcomes of 49 subjects who had undergone IOL exchange between 1986 and 2002. Fifteen patients had been implanted with an anterior chamber IOL and 34 with a posterior chamber IOL.

The mean interval between first surgery and lens exchange was 83.2 months in the anterior chamber group and 37.9 months in the posterior chamber group. The main reason for exchange in the anterior chamber group was inflammation resulting from uveitis-glaucoma-hyphaema syndrome or persistent iritis. In contrast, posterior chamber IOLs were more likely to become decentred or dislocated.

Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the anterior chamber group, after exchange, improved in nine eyes (60%), was stable in four (27%) and worsened in two (13%). In the posterior chamber group, BCVA imporved in 17 eyes (50%), was stable in 11 (32%) and worsened in six (18%).

The researchers concluded that anterior chamber IOLs are able to last twice as long as posterior chamber IOLs.