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Ultra Thin Intra-Ocular Lenses Safely Implanted Through 2 Mm Corneal Incisions: Presented at ESO

By Cameron Johnston

MADRID, SPAIN -- June 13, 2003 -- A new intra-ocular lens can safely be inserted through a corneal incision as small as 2 mm in diameter in patients requiring cataract surgery, Italians doctors reported here at the 14^th congress of the European Society of Ophthalmology.

Inserting intra-ocular lenses (IOL) through increasingly smaller corneal incisions has been an on-going goal for surgeons performing anterior segment procedures for some time now.

Smaller incisions would mean greater anterior chamber stability, which is especially important when dealing with patients who are highly myopic. It would also reduce the risk of intra-ocular decompression, reduce healing time and reduce risk of postoperative astigmatism, wound leakage and/or endophthalmitis.

According to Dr. Barbara Kusa of the Centro Microchirurgia Ambulatoriale, in Milan, Italy, the ThinOptX IOL is one-fifth the thickness of traditional foldable IOLs, but its optical properties are similar to those found with more commonly used IOLs.

In a review of 18 eyes that underwent cataract surgery at the clinic, the incision sizes ranged from 2.00 to 2.75 mm (mean size 2.6 mm) The IOLs used had a mean power of 21.6 dioptres. Overall dimensions for the IOLs were 11.2 mm diameter with a 5.5 mm optic.

After 3 months of follow-up there were no post-operative complications related to the IOL or to the incision, and the IOLs were well centred. There were no reductions in corneal endothelial cell counts. Visual acuity was 0.9 and refractive target was reached with an error count of 0.5 dioptres.

Promising though these results appear, it could be that the 2 mm threshold for corneal incisions is already close to becoming normal fare. Most of the folding IOLs commonly in use can now be inserted through incisions smaller than 3 mm, while experimental IOLs are now being tested that can be inserted through 1 mm incisions.

However an on-going issue is that as the incision and the IOL become smaller, there is a strong tendency for the IOLs to lose some of their optical quality, said Dr. Kusa.


[Study title: IOL Insertion Through 2 mm Incision: ThinOptX. Abstract 085]

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