title: Clear lens phacoemulsification in Alport syndrome: refractive results and electron microscopic analysis of the anterior lens capsule.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the ocular findings of patients with Alport syndrome and the results of clear lens extraction in this patient group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three eyes of 15 patients with a diagnosis of Alport syndrome were included in this study. Clear corneal phacoemulsification and intraocular foldable lens implantation was performed in eyes with indeterminate refractive errors and/or poor visual acuity and anterior capsule samples were analyzed with electron microscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients had a history of hereditary nephritis and/or deafness as systemic involvement. Ophthalmologic examination revealed anterior lenticonus with high myopia and/or irregular astigmatism in all patients. The mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.67 ± 0.17 logMAR (range 1.0-0.4) preoperatively and 0.17 ± 0.08 logMAR (range 0.3-0.0) postoperatively. Postoperative refractive lenticular astigmatism dramatically decreased and no ocular complications arose during the follow-up period. Transmission electron microscopic analysis of the lens capsules supported the diagnosis of Alport syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clear lens phacoemulsification and foldable intraocular lens implantation is a safe and effective therapeutic choice for the management of uncorrectable refractive errors and low visual acuity due to anterior lenticonus in patients with Alport syndrome.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Ophthalmology, Ankara - Turkey.
authors.forename: Sezin Akca
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bayar
authors.forename: Eylem Yaman
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Pinarci
authors.forename: Gulten
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karabay
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akman
authors.forename: Sibel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oto
authors.forename: Gursel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D057866:Anterior Capsule of the Lens / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001251:Astigmatism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007905:Lens Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009216:Myopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009394:Nephritis, Hereditary / Q000601:surgery*; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods*; D012029:Refraction, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult