Autoclavable two-piece noncased wide-angle contact lens system for vitrectomy.
OBJECTIVE
To describe an autoclavable wide-angle two-piece noncased contact lens system (two lenses: equatorial and wider-angle lens) for vitrectomy.


METHODS
The inferior lens is made of an autoclavable plastic with a concave contact surface of 7.7 mm and the superior lens is a convex glass lens. The superior lens is mounted on the inferior one to make the lens assembly.


RESULTS
The equatorial lens has a power of +81 D and a field of view of 80-96 degrees, while the wider-angle lens power is +151 D and the field 110-120 degrees. The lens is kept on the cornea upon a drop of viscoelastic substance. An assistant holds it with a conventional lens holder. The lens is easy to sterilize by autoclaving and does not require expensive gas sterilization or potentially injurious chemical sterilization.


CONCLUSIONS
This lens system provides a panoramic wide-angle view of the retina during vitreous surgery. The autoclaving makes this lens system cost-effective and fast to reuse.
Shah
Vinay A
VA
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Fla., USA.
Chalam
K V
KV
D003261:Contact Lenses; D004867:Equipment Design; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D013242:Sterilization; D014821:Vitrectomy / Q000295:instrumentation*