Introduction of longstanding complicated sulcus intraocular lens into the intact capsular bag

AIM: To propose a surgical technique that successfully reopened the empty and intact capsular bag after long periods of closure, with repositioning of the intraocular lens (IOL) from the ciliary sulcus into its preferred habitat inside the capsular bag. METHODS: This is a case series, prospective, and interventional study. The technique was first performed on an aphakic high myope with a closed posterior capsule for 18y. Afterwards, five patients with recurrently displaced sulcus IOLs for a range of 1mo to 7y were performed for the same technique. During surgery, identifying a “telltale white line” was an important landmark for detecting the site of major adhesions between the edge of the capsulorhexis and the posterior capsule. These adhesions were freed using combined manual and viscoelastic dissection, followed by an easier freeing of adhesions along the whole capsular bag. The IOL was safely implanted, exchanged, or introduced from the sulcus into the fibrotic and closed capsular bag. Patients were followed up for a period ranging from 6 to 17mo postoperatively. RESULTS: All the patients experienced a remarkable improvement in their subjective refraction. Slit lamp examination showed a postoperative centralized IOL in the bag. The follow up visits confirmed visual and IOL stability. CONCLUSION: This newly-introduced surgical technique facilitates the reopening of the empty yet intact capsular bag that has been closed by fibrotic proliferations, with secured implantation of the IOL inside the capsular bag. Patients with inadvertent implantation of IOLs into the ciliary sulcus, yet having an intact capsular bag, can benefit from this technique.

Removing residual cortical material during cataract surgery: Visco polishing and the grindstone effect as a new surgical technique

Purpose To describe a new technique for removing residual cortical material adjacent to posterior lens capsule during cataract surgery with the help of cohesive ophthalmic viscosurgical devices. Methods In this technique, if there are still cortical remnants and lens epithelial cells left after the routine irrigation–aspiration and polishing at the final steps of cataract surgery, the capsule is filled to about one-third with a highly viscous cohesive ophthalmic viscosurgical device. Rinsing is performed from the anterior chamber with the water jet directed tangentially to the ophthalmic viscosurgical device bolus and towards the posterior capsule, which creates a turbulence creating a “grindstone effect”. The ophthalmic viscosurgical device bolus transforms into a ball and starts to rotate very quickly within the capsule, grinding away the cortical remnants. Results In the first series of 62 cases, there were no intra-operative or post-operative complications. At day 1 there was no corneal oedema and no hypertension of intraocular pressure. Visual outcomes were good with a mean best corrected distance visual acuity of −0.01 ± 0.11 logMAR. Conclusion This technique appears to be effective and fast in removing persistent cortical remnants from the surface of the posterior capsule, while minimising risks such as capsule aspiration during irrigation/aspiration. There is limited pressure and mechanical force applied on the capsule; the anterior chamber and the corneal endothelium remain safe since the ophthalmic viscosurgical device stays inside the capsular bag to its high cohesiveness and molecular weight. More data on a larger cohort of patients is planned to confirm these results and evaluate long-term effects on posterior capsule opacification.

Study of peculiarities of intra- and postoperative state of the interface «intraocular lens - posterior capsule» in phacoemulsification of senile cataract

Presence of full contact of interface «intraocular lens (IOL) – posterior capsule (PC)» ensures the transparency of the latter in the early period after phacoemulsification (PE) of senile cataract (SC). The main reasons for absence of full contact of IOL with PC are: the presence of residuals of viscoelastic (VE) in the capsular bag, uneven tension of the capsule by the haptic elements of the IOL, and the incommensurability of the size of the IOL with the capsule. Purpose. To study the features of the intra- and postoperative state of interface «IOL – PC» during PE SC. Material and methods. Dynamic observation of 42 patients (42 eyes), who operated on immature senile cataracts, was carried out. All operations were performed using OPMI LUMERA 700 surgical microscope (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany) with integrated intra-operative OCT, state of interface «IOL – PC» was examined. 2 hours after and on the 1st day after the operation state of interface «IOL – PC» was studied in all eyes by OCT on Optovue RTVue-100 (Optovue, Inc., US) with module for anterior segment examining to protocols «Cornea Line» and «Cornea Cross Line». Results. During the operation, the presence of contact between IOL and PC was observed only in 9 eyes (21.4%). 2 hours after surgery, 40 eyes (95.2%) had absence of contact between lens and capsule. On the 1st day after surgery, the optimal interface between IOL and PC was observed in 32 eyes (76.2%). Conclusion. Studies have shown that state of interface «IOL – PC» on the 1st day does not depend on its characteristics revealed intraoperative and 2 hours after the operation. The main reason for absence of contact between IOL and PC is residues of VE, and the using «impulse-irrigation» technique allows completely removing VE from the central zone of the capsule in all cases. Key words: cataract, phacoemulsification, intraocular lens, lens capsule, viscoelastic, interface «IOL – PC».

Study of State of Interface “Intraocular Lens — Posterior Capsule” Depending on Size of Capsulorhexis in Senile Cataract Phacoemulsification

Purpose. To study the state of interface “intraocular lens (IOL) — posterior capsule (PC)” depending on diameter of capsulorhexis in phacoemulsification of senile cataract.Patients and methods. 227 patients (227 eyes) were examined after phacoemulsification of senile cataract at LenSx femtosecond laser (Alcon, USA). The study did not include patients with corneal opacities, signs of axial displacement of lens, with irido- and phacodonesis, glaucoma, axial length less than 22 mm and more than 26 mm. Depending on diameter of performed capsulorhexis, we formed 3 groups: 1st group — 76 eyes with diameter capsulorexis 5.5 mm; 2nd group — 73 eyes with 5.0 mm; 3rd group — 78 eyes with 4.5 mm. We studied type of interface “IOL — PC”, the maximum value of PC diastasis and the maximum depth of its folds using an RTVue-100 Optical Coherence Tomography (Optovue, USA) on the first day after the operation.Results. The maximum number of eyes with absence of contact between IOL and PC was noted in the 3rd group (62.8 %), the largest number of eyes with full contact between IOL and PC (63.2 %) was in the 1st group. The minimum average depth of the PC folds (111.1 ± 32.7 μm) was noted in the 1st group, and the maximum (165 ± 75.4 μm) — in the 2nd group.Conclusion. The analysis showed that type of interface “IOL — PC” in the first day after phacoemulsification of senile cataract depends on diameter of capsulorhexis. The largest number of eyes (64.6 %) with full contact between IOL and PC was observed in the group of patients with capsulorhexis 5.5 mm, and the smallest (6.4 %) — in eyes with diameter capsulorexis 4.5 mm. Presumably, the main reason for the absence or incomplete contact between IOL and PC is the presence of viscous dispersive between them. The deformation of PC in the form of folds does not directly depend on diameter of capsulorhexis and, obviously, is due to the uneven tension of the capsular bag by the IOL haptics.

Adapted Bag-in-the-Lens Implantation Technique in Children with Congenital Ectopia Lentis

Background Subluxation of the crystalline lens in childhood confronts the surgeon with a dilemma: to operate or to wait and see. Surgery is usually not performed when the subluxation is still limited. However, postponing the surgery increases the surgical difficulty as the capsular bag becomes more difficult to use as a means of support for the intraocular lens (IOL). A large number of children already present a pronounced subluxation at first presentation. In this paper, we describe a technique to optimise centration and fixation of the bag-in-the-lens (BIL) IOL in children younger than 7 years of age with congenital ectopia lentis. Methods Between October 2019 and December 2020, we performed lens extraction using a combination of bean-shaped segments to support the BIL IOL and a 6 – 0 polypropylene loop fixated at the sclera, following the Yamane technique, for the purpose of centration. We used this technique for seven eyes of four patients. The patients were between 2 and 6 years old; 3 boys and 1 girl. A definite diagnosis of Marfan syndrome was made for two children; for the other two, there was no proven underlying pathology. The luxation was upwards in all cases. The degree of luxation was severe in all eyes. The preoperative refraction values showed high astigmatism values for all eyes, ranging from 6.5 to 11.25 dioptres. Three out of the four patients were myopic, ranging from − 1.5 to − 9 dioptres. Results The surgery could be performed without major complications in all eyes. Good centration was obtained, which remained stable in the postoperative period. Refraction improved with greatly diminished degrees of astigmatism (ranging from 0.25 to 3 dioptres) and myopia (spheres ranging from − 2 to + 1.75 dioptres). Conclusion Our novel technique incorporated the BIL technique with the addition of bean-shaped segments and a polypropylene 6/0 suture fixated at the sclera. In this way, we were able to obtain good centration and stability of the implanted IOL, as well as a good refractive outcome in all cases.

UBM indicators in anterior capsular contraction syndrome

The article presents the results of UBM studies of patients with anterior capsular contraction syndrome (CS). Purpose. Тo use the UBM method to study the state of the ciliary body (CB) and the capsular bag of the lens in patients with CS. Material and methods. The study included 42 patients with capsular CS. The UBM HI-scan ultrasound biomicroscope (Optikon, Italy) was used. Results. The reduction of the capsule bag of the lens was accompanied by a significant decrease in the diameter of the anterior capsulotomy opening, IOL decentration and its displacement towards the posterior pole of the eye, stretching or damage to the zonula ciliaris, and an increase in the CB thickness. In 2 cases, ruptures of the CB and its separation from the place of attachment to the radix iridis were recorded. Conclusion. UBM is an effective assessment method for CS, which allows us to study the state of the capsule bag of the lens and CB, evaluate the effectiveness of laser treatment and predict the risks associated with a high probability of complications. Key words: capsular contraction syndrome, anterior capsule, lens, laser, UBM, ciliary body.