POCOman: new system for quantifying posterior capsule opacification

PURPOSE: To describe a new method of measuring posterior capsule opacification (PCO) and intraocular lens (IOL) rotation and report the validation of the method. SETTING: Ophthalmology Department, St. Thomas' Hospital, and Medical Imaging, Department of Physics, King's College, London, United Kingdom. METHOD: A new interactive software program, POCOman, was developed for the semiobjective assessment of PCO. Digital images of the posterior capsule, which can be acquired by any technique, are analyzed by the observer to determine the percentage area of PCO and assign a severity score. The system was validated by comparing it to clinical slitlamp evaluation of PCO and automated POCO system analysis using a library of 100 images taken from archives. The software also measures sequential IOL rotation for the evaluation of toric IOLs. RESULTS: An image could be analyzed in approximately 2 minutes. The results of the POCOman system correlated well with the results of the automated POCO system and clinical evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The POCOman is an effective, user-friendly system for quantifying PCO. It can be obtained for free and has advantages over other methods.