Pearly White Appearance - Cataract or IOL Opacification?

Abstract

Aim – To report a case of late opacification of single piece hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens after uneventful phacoemulsification surgery. Methods – A 55-year-old female presented with gradual diminution of vision in right eye for past six months. She had undergone phacoemulsification surgery with hydrophilic IOL implantation two years back. Presently her vision was finger counting at two meters. Slit lamp examination with pupil dilatation revealed IOL opacification. Results – Intraocular lens exchange was performed, hydrophilic IOL was replaced by hydrophobic acrylic IOL by temporal incision. Patient's best corrected visual acuity was 6/18, due to presence of synchesis scintillans as predisposing factor. At 6 month follow up, patient maintained the vision. Conclusion – IOL opacification can be successfully managed by IOL exchange. Patients should be informed about this extremely rare complication of cataract surgery, to avoid unnecessary litigation.