Delayed complete opacification of intraocular lens

Abstract

A 70-year-old male farmer underwent cataract surgery by the phacoemulsification technique 6 years ago. The patient has experienced diminished vision for the last 6 months. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy demonstrated significant opacification of the optic and haptic portion of the intraocular lens (IOL). The IOL was explanted followed by implantation of a polymethyl methacrylate IOL. The vision improved to 20/30 postoperatively. No IOL opacification was observed at follow-up visits. Histopathological evaluation of the explanted IOL exhibited calcium deposits in the optic and haptic portions of the IOL. We propose a new IOL opacification classification on the basis of etiology.

Keywords

• hydrophilic intraocular lens
• intraocular lens opacification
• polymethyl methacrylate