Background: Based on previous data on single-piece and three-piece intraocular lenses (IOLs) there is no evidence for significant differences in decentration, tilt and refractive shift. The purpose of the current study was to compare single-piece and three-piece IOLs in patients with high axial myopia.
Material and methods: A total of 68 eyes of 50 patients with high axial myopia (axis length ≥ 28.00 mm) with and without cataract who underwent complication-free phacoemulsification and IOL implantation were retrospectively examined. To compare single-piece and three-piece IOLs, the patients were retrospectively grouped depending on IOL type: group 1 acrylic single-piece IOL (n = 37; ACR6D SE, Corneal, France) and group 2 acrylic three-piece IOL with fixed haptic frame (n = 31; AF-1 UY, Hoya, Japan). Patient files were analyzed regarding best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), refractive predictability and stability.
Results: In this study the mean BSCVA was determined as 0.22 ± 0.12 logMAR and 0.13 ± 0.11 logMAR 6 months postoperatively for the ACR6D SE group and the AF-1 UV group, respectively (p = 0.09). Refractive predictability was less accurate in the ACR6D SE (+ 1.75 ± 2.2 dpt) compared to the AF-1 UV (- 0.37 ± 1.1) treated eyes (p = 0.001). Refractive stability, defined as the difference in diopters between the first week and the sixth month after surgery, resulted in + 0.40 ± 1.7 dpt and -0.16 ± 1.2 dpt for the ACR6D SE and the AF-1 UV, respectively (p = 0.022).
Conclusions: The three-piece AF-1 UV showed satisfactory refractive predictability and stability in patients with high axial myopia. The ACR6D SE has a high refractive unpredictability and should not be used in eyes with high axial myopia.