PARIS Research throughout the years has shown that
posterior capsule opacification is a complex complication
with many factors that affect occurrence, a physician said here.
| |  David Spalton |
David Spalton, FRCS, FRCP, FRCOphth, delivered the Ridley Medal Lecture
during the opening ceremony of the
European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting.
He outlined the occurrence of PCO since the first IOL implantations. By the
1990s,
cataract surgery had become the most common surgery in the
Western world, with PCO the most common complication, he said.
Research throughout the years has shown that reasons for the occurrence
of PCO are multifactorial and can be affected by a patient's age, coexisting
disease, surgical technique used in cataract surgery and lens design of the
implanted IOL.
"We have come a long way," Dr. Spalton said. "There is more to PCO than
just life or death on the posterior capsule."
Dr. Spalton cited Ekkehard Medhorn, MD, and his finding that patients
implanted with the AcrySof IOL (Alcon) had clear posterior capsules. He said
the discovery was a major milestone in the history of cataract surgery because
it demonstrated that PCO was not an "inevitable complication after operation."
In 1999, O. Nishi, MD, showed that a square-edge lens profile prevented
PCO, another key discovery, Dr. Spalton said. However, further research has
shown that PCO is not avoided in all square-edged lenses.
"What we need are lenses with an effective optic-haptic junction with a
360° square-edge barrier to give you clear capsules," he said.