Capsular opacification may cause 1 CU lenses to lose accommodative ability

Over time, anterior and posterior capsular opacification can cause patients implanted with the 1 CU accomodative IOL to lose their capacity to accommodate, according to 2-year results of a prospective study.

"The accommodative lens material and design may have played a role in capsule fibrosis," the study authors said.

Leonardo Mastropasqua, MD, and colleagues at the University G. d'Annunzio Chieti-Pescara in Chieti, Italy, evaluated the performance of the 1 CU accommodative IOL (Human Optics AG) in 14 eyes over 2 years. All patients had previously been included in a 6-month, case-control clinical trial, according to the study.

The researchers found that distance and near visual performance began to decline after 6 months.

At 6 months follow-up, uncorrected distance visual acuity averaged J0.8 and best corrected distance VA averaged J1. At 1 year follow-up, uncorrected distance VA had significantly decreased to J0.4 and best corrected distance VA significantly decreased to J0.6 (P = .001).

Distance corrected near VA averaged J3.7 and best corrected near VA averaged J1 at 6 months. Both had also declined by 1 years postop, to J8.1 for distance corrected near VA and to J1.5 for best corrected near VA (P = .001), according to the study.

At 6 months, the researchers noted anterior capsular opacification in 28% of patients and posterior capsular opacification in 21% of patients. At 1- and 2-year follow-up, both anterior and posterior capsular opacification were seen in all patients.

In all cases, surgeons performed Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy, which significantly improved vision by 2 years follow-up.

The study is published in the July issue of Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica.