Purpose: To examine the frequency of persistent corneal oedema following intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE). To examine whether the type of intraocular lens has any influence on persistent corneal oedema following ICCE.
Methods: A retrospective study of 1041 consecutive ICCE operations followed for at least eight years. The cumulative incidence of persistent corneal oedema was calculated for the whole group and compared to the incidence in subgroups defined by type of intraocular lens.
Results: The cumulative incidence of persistent corneal oedema following ICCE was 2.3% for the whole group. The highest incidence (10.3%) was found in the group of patients, who received a 3-M style 77 anterior chamber lens while the lowest incidence (1.0%) were found among patients receiving a Choyce anterior chamber lens. Compared to this, the patients who received no intraocular lens showed a frequency of persistent corneal oedema of 1.4%. Among the patients who developed persistent corneal oedema the number of re-operations was higher (27.3%) compared to the patients who did not develop persistent corneal oedema (4.4%). The frequency of preoperative dystrophy was the same whether or not the patients developed persistent corneal oedema. There were no difference in gender, age or other pre-operative data between the two groups.
Conclusion: After ICCE 2.3% developed persistent corneal oedema. There was a significant difference between the frequencies of persistent corneal oedema depending on the type of intraocular lens from 1.0% in eyes receiving a Choyce anterior chamber lens to 10.3% in eyes receiving a semi-flexible 3-M style 77 anterior chamber lens.