Cell Attachment to Standard and Surface-modified Intraocular Lenses

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: to undertake a comparative study of cell attachment to standard polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) intraocular lenses (IOLs) and to two types of surface-modified IOLs ( heparin surface-modified and surface passivated ) using in-vitro techniques. STUDY DESIGN: All IOLs were preincubated in either saline, 20% foetal calf serum, bovine aqueous or bovine vitreous for 48 hours. Following preincubation to these biological fluids, the IOLs were exposed to cultured bovine Tenon's capsule fibroblasts for 24 hours and the number of cells attached to each IOL determined. RESULTS: Results determined substantial cell attachment to both standard PMMA IOLs and surface-passivated IOLs. By contrast, cell attachment to heparin surface-modified IOLs was reduced by between 84 and 95% when compared to the other IOL types ( P surface passivated IOLs, irrespective of the preincubation regime, was normal whereas the cells on the heparin surface-modified IOLs tended to be more rounded and exhibited less prominent cytoplasmic projections. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that surface-passivated IOL material has no additional properties, superior to standard PMMA, with regard to resistance to cell attachment and is significantly inferior to that of heparin surface-modified IOLs in this area. This simple and applicable method with which to evaluate the probability of cell deposition on intraocular prosthetic implants offers a valuable primary screening technique for new IOLs prior to animal or clinical studies.