Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes and safety of retropupillary iris-claw intraocular lens implantation and associated pars plana vitrectomy.
Methods: Multicenter, national audit of 325 eyes (325 patients). Demographics, surgical details, and complications are described. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and central retinal thickness assessed by optical coherence tomography were collected at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Kaplan-Meier curves were created to assess the cumulative probability of postoperative visual acuity and intraocular pressure levels, macular edema development, and corneal decompensation.
Results: The cumulative probability of the final visual acuity ≤0.3 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (≥20/40 Snellen) was 75.6% at 12-month follow-up. The probability of intraocular pressure >21, ≥25, and ≥30 mmHg was 48.1%, 33.1%, and 19.0%, and the probability of intraocular pressure-lowering drops was 50.9% at 12 months. Glaucoma surgery was required in 4.3% of the eyes (14/325). The cumulative probability of macular edema was 20.5% at 12 months and was greater in complicated cataract surgery than in intraocular lens-luxation eyes (26% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.04). Corneal transplantation was required in 2.8% of the eyes (9/325).
Conclusion: This study on 325 eyes with aphakia or intraocular lens dislocation managed with the retropupillary iris-claw intraocular lens technique provides clinical outcomes in a real-world scenario, reporting relevant data for patient counseling and preoperative discussions.