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Foldable silicone artificial iris creates natural effect in post-traumatic eyes
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Pole-to-pole surgery in traumatized eyes might require iris reconstruction, according to a specialist.
"As trauma surgeons, we often underestimate the importance of preserving or reconstructing the iris. Although saving vision is our primary goal, we should not forget how much patients, particularly young patients, care about cosmetic results. We have post-trauma patients who eventually accept vision loss but not the aesthetic damage," Cesare Forlini, MD, said at the meeting of the European Society of Ophthalmology.
The Artificial Iris developed by Dr. Schmidt Intraocularlinsen, a subsidiary of HumanOptics, can be used as a full or partial prosthesis and is "the best product of this kind on the market," according to Forlini. It is made of a foldable silicone material and is customized to match the contralateral iris color.
"The aesthetic effect is amazing," Forlini said.
In patients who also need replacement of the crystalline lens, he performs an iris-IOL piggyback implantation, suturing the artificial iris on top of a foldable lens and implanting them both in the sulcus.
"You can also do partial reconstruction by cutting the artificial iris to match the partial aniridia and suturing it to the iris tissue," he said.
Forlini showed a series of severe trauma cases in which he implanted the Artificial Iris, including pediatric cases.
Disclosure: Forlini has no relevant financial disclosures.