Ultrasound biomicroscopy of silicone posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens for myopia

PURPOSE: To study the intraocular position and anatomic relationships of PRL-III (phakic refractive lens) (PRL) posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens (PCP IOL) for high myopia using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM). SETTING: Centro Oftalmológico Real Vision, and Instituto de Investigaciones Oftalmológicas Ramón Castroviejo, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. METHODS: Sixteen phakic myopic eyes that had had PRL implantation were examined by UBM 1 month after surgery. The PRL position, PRL-crystalline lens peripheral distance, and central distance between the corneal endothelium and the PRL were measured. RESULTS: Both haptics were on the zonule in 6 eyes, in the ciliary sulcus in 5 eyes, and impacted in the ciliary body in 1 eye. In the 4 remaining eyes, the haptics were in mixed positions. The mean PCP IOL crystalline lens peripheral distance in the minor axis was 588.1 microm +/- 232.5 (SD), and the mean PCP IOL-endothelium central distance was 2082.8 +/- 277.6 microm. CONCLUSIONS: Phakic refractive lens implantation should be done carefully because of the sulcus location of the haptics in many cases. This, with the iris-PRL contact, suggests caution for the long-term outcome.