Good visual outcomes achieved with foldable glued IOLs

This retrospective review found foldable glued IOLs yield satisfactory visual outcomes without serious complications.

The authors reviewed the charts of all glued intrascleral-fixated foldable IOL implantations performed from 2008 to 2012 at Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital and Eye Research Centre in Chennai, India. Subjects were 185 patients, and the mean follow-up was 16.7 months.

Corrected distance visual acuity improved or remained unchanged in 84.6 percent of eyes. Postoperative CDVA was 20/40 or better in 38.9 percent of eyes and 20/60 or better in 48.5 percent. Reoperation was required in 16 eyes (7.7 percent). Haptic position was altered in eyes with IOL decentration.

Intraoperative complications included hyphema (0.4 percent), haptic breakage (0.4 percent) and deformed haptics (0.9 percent). Early postoperative complications, which they defined as occurring within the first month after surgery, occurred in 29 eyes (13.9 percent) and included corneal edema (5.7 percent), epithelial defect (1.9 percent) and grade 2 anterior chamber reaction (2.4 percent). Late complications–those arising more than one month after surgery–occurred in 39 eyes (18.7 percent) and included optic capture (4.3 percent), IOL decentration (3.3 percent), haptic extrusion (1.9 percent), subconjunctival haptic (1.4 percent), macular edema (1.9 percent) and pigment dispersion (1.9 percent).

The authors found that although there were IOL-related complications, none affected final visual acuity. Additional research with a longer follow-up and comparative randomized trials are needed to determine whether the foldable glued-IOL method is equally well tolerated and as effective as other established options over the long term.