Purpose: To evaluate a capsular tension ring (CTR)-supported anterior and posterior capsule opacification (PCO) model in cadaver eyes. The effect of CTR designs on lens capsule shape and lens epithelial cell (LEC) growth were investigated in vitro.
Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
Methods: Following open-sky extracapsular cataract extraction, CTR models were implanted in 32 eyes of 16 human donors. The lens capsule expansion by the CTRs was evaluated. The capsular bags supported by the CTRs were excised and maintained at physiological conditions for up to 3 months. The area of LEC coverage over the posterior capsule surface was objectively determined twice a day using a graticule.
Results: After CTR implantation, all lens capsules could be safely excised and transferred into organ culture. The CTR designs resulted in different shapes of lens capsule expansion. Complete LEC confluence occurred after a mean of 8.25 days+/-2.87 (SD) with the AcriRing KR10 (AcriTec), 6.50+/-1.0 days with the Acrimed, 8.62+/-3.34 days with the InjectoRing (Corneal), 9.00+/-1.87 days with the Morcher 14C, 9.33+/-0.75 days with the Morcher 2A, and 6.25+/-0.5 days with the Ophthalmic Innovation CTR.
Conclusion: The CTR-supported in vitro PCO model offers a physiological method to support the lens capsule and is a reproducible system for the study of LEC proliferation.