Higher risk of endophthalmitis with PMMA IOLs

Intraocular lenses (IOL) made from polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) may be associated with an increased risk of postoperative endophthalmitis, concludes a report in the February issue of Eye.

Laurent Kodjikian and colleagues from the Croix-Rousse Hospital, Lyon, France conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate the causal relationship between acute postoperative endophthalmitis and the biomaterial properties of IOLs. The study included 5,837 eyes which had undergone cataract surgery and IOL implantation at the Croix-Rousse University Hospital between January 1994 and December 2004.

A total of eight eyes manifested acute postoperative endophthalmitis. Of these, seven had been implanted with PMMA IOLs and one with a heparinized PMMA IOL. It was therefore the conclusion of the authors that eyes implanted with PMMA IOLs carry a higher risk of developing endophthalmitis than hydrophilic or acrylic IOLs.