title: Incidence of anterior intraocular lens precipitates after combined phacotrabeculectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the incidence of anterior intraocular lens (IOL) precipitates on silicone and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) IOLs after phacotrabeculetomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  District general hospital in the United Kingdom.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-five consecutive eyes of 77 patients who had combined phacotrabeculectomy between April 1992 and October 1996 were retrospectively studied. A slitlamp biomicroscope was used to look for precipitates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean patient age was 75 years (range 51 to 89 years). Preoperatively, mean intraocular pressure (IOP) was 26 mm Hg +/- 5.26 (SD). Thirty plate-haptic silicone IOLs and 65 PMMA IOLs were implanted. Six months postoperatively, median corrected Snellen acuity improved from 6/18 to 6/9. The mean number of antiglaucoma medications dropped from 1.46 preoperatively to 0.29 postoperatively; 73 eyes (76.8%) had an IOP of less than 22 mm Hg with no medication. In 1 surgeon's experience, lens precipitates appeared in 10 of 59 cases (16.9%), with 7 of 14 (50.0%) in the silicone IOL group and 3 of 45 (6.7%) in the PMMA IOL group. The difference was statistically significant (P <.001, chi-square).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of anterior IOL precipitates was significantly higher in patients with a silicone IOL than in those with a PMMA IOL, suggesting that use of silicone IOLs may increase the incidence of postoperative IOL precipitates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: B Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Savides
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Atkins
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000869:Anterior Eye Segment; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications; D002452:Cell Count; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D007910:Lenses, Intraocular; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D014130:Trabeculectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate