Late postoperative opacification of MemoryLens hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lenses - Case series and review

Purpose: To report clinical and spectrographic analyses of 2 explanted hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOLs). Setting: John A. Moran Eye Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, and Johannes Gutenberg-University, Department of Ophthalmology, Mainz, Germany. Methods: We report 6 cases of opacification of MemoryLens(R) IOLs (Ciba Vision) that occurred approximately 2 years after implantation. The anterior and posterior surfaces of the IOLs had a white, frosted appearance, and the IOLs' interior looked brown, similar to the appearance of a brunescent cataract. Two of the IOLs were explanted because of a significant decrease in visual acuity. The IOLs were sent for further clinicopathologic analysis including scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Results: Microscopic analysis revealed multiple, fine, granular deposits of various sizes on the surface of the lens optics. The EDX analysis showed the presence of calcium within the deposits. Conclusions: Our cases show that hydrophilic acrylic IOLs can opacify even years after implantation. Analysis of the explanted IOLs revealed calcification.