Purpose: To study the intraocular position and anatomic relationships of the PRL-III phakic refractive lens (PRL), a posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens (PCP IOL), in cases of hyperopia using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM).
Setting: Centro Oftalmológico Real Vision, Madrid, Spain, and Instituto de Investigaciones Oftalmológicas Ramón Castroviejo, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
Methods: Eleven phakic hyperopic eyes of 6 patients who had PRL implantation were examined by UBM 1 month after surgery. The PRL position, PRL-crystalline lens peripheral distance, and central distance between the corneal endothelium and the PRL were measured.
Results: Eight eyes had both haptics on the zonule, 2 had 1 haptic in the sulcus and 1 on the zonule, and 1 had 1 haptic in the sulcus and the other in the ciliary body. The mean PCP IOL-crystalline lens peripheral distance in the minor axis was 239.7 microm +/- 179.4 (SD) and the mean PCP IOL-endothelium central distance, 2146.98 +/- 219.6 microm. Contact between the PCP IOL and crystalline lens was observed in 1 eye.
Conclusions: In this study of hyperopic eyes, the PRL was located on the zonule in most cases. However, the location of the haptics in the sulcus and contact between the PCP IOL and the crystalline lens that occurred in some cases suggest further study of possible long-term complications is needed.