SILICONE MICROTUBE-ASSISTED SCLERAL FIXATION OF A POSTERIOR CHAMBER INTRAOCULAR LENS

Purpose: To report a novel technique for intrascleral fixation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens using a silicone microtube to manipulate the haptics into position. Methods: Intrascleral fixation was performed in six eyes and the results evaluated in this retrospective case series. A silicone microtube with a 0.2-mm external diameter was passed from a sclerocorneal incision through the chamber and a sclerotomy made using a 30-gauge needle. The tips of the intraocular lens haptics were connected to the silicone microtube outside the eye. After the intraocular lens was injected into the posterior chamber, the haptics were drawn through the scleral incision through their attachment to the silicone microtube. Results: The mean postoperative corrected visual acuity was 0.62 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (20/43) with a mean refraction error of 20.06 +/- 0.4 diopter, which did not differ significantly (P = 0.53) from the expected value. The postoperative complications included transient ocular hypotension, vitreous hemorrhage, and choroidal detachment. Conclusion: Our technique using a silicone microtube reduces the number of intraocular procedures compared with previous methods using forceps or needles for moving the intraocular lens haptics from the posterior chamber to the outside through sclerotomies.