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Single-piece IOLs may cause secondary glaucoma
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Single-piece acrylic IOLs that are malpositioned may cause glaucoma that is often not attributed to the IOL, according to a speaker here.
"It is one of the most common forms of secondary glaucoma that I treat in my practice," Garry P. Condon, MD, said at Kiawah Eye 2011. "It's been too often missed in the past, with the patient undergoing what seems to be perfectly nice surgery."
The delayed onset of the condition leads many cataract surgeons to believe that it is not a significant problem in the early postoperative period, Dr. Condon said.
In addition, because the design of single-piece lenses causes them to look perfectly centered under a slit lamp or with vitreoretinal illumination, glaucoma specialists who see the patients years later may not be aware that part of the IOL could be outside the capsular bag.
"These are the patients that go on steroids for far too long ... and the treatment is inadequate despite the use of steroids. The process continues to go on, the trauma to the iris escalates and the IOP damage can become a problem then secondarily," Dr. Condon said.
However, he noted that this is a curable form of glaucoma and that earlier surgical intervention will prevent permanent IOP problems in these patients.
- Disclosure: Dr. Condon is a consultant and is on the speakers bureaus for Alcon and Allergan.