Unilateral intraocular lens opacification in an otherwise healthy eye

Abstract

With phacoemulsification with posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) implant being the standard of care for the past few decades, sufficient time and numbers have been crossed, revealing newer long-term complication related to the procedure. One of such complications being IOL opacification. The case discussed here is a 73-year-old female with no known ocular comorbidities who presented to our center with diminution of vision. The patient had undergone phacoemulsification cataract surgery with implantation of a foldable PCIOL at another center in the year 2006. Examination revealed glistening pearl-like crystalline opacities inside the IOL optic as well as haptic. The patient underwent an uneventful IOL explant with implantation of glued scleral-fixated IOL as a secondary procedure. The explanted lens was sent to another center for analysis who confirmed the presence of crystalline calcium deposits inside the IOL. Such opacities cause severe visual disability and are not amenable to YAG capsulotomy procedures. These cases warrant IOL explant for visual rehabilitation. Although similar cases were reported from Europe and the USA, no similar cases were previously reported from the Indian subcontinent. This is the first such reported case from the Indian subcontinent.