Visual and clinical outcomes of explantation versus preservation of the intraocular lens during keratoprosthesis implantation

Purpose: To compare the short-term visual and clinical outcomes of explantation versus preservation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC IOL) during keratoprosthesis implantation. Setting: Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Design: Comparative case series. Methods: This study comprised patients who had implantation of an aphakic or a pseudophakic Boston type I keratoprosthesis based on their lenticular status. Only adult patients who were pseudophakic with a PC IOL at the time of surgery and who had at least 1 year of follow-up were included. The postoperative refractive error, uncorrected and corrected visual acuities, and intraoperative and postoperative complications were analyzed. Results: Fifteen patients with an unstable PC IOL had aphakic keratoprosthesis implantation with IOL explantation, and 10 patients had implantation of a pseudophakic keratoprosthesis. The postoperative best-ever visual acuity and magnitude of visual acuity improvement were comparable in the 2 groups. The mean postoperative spherical equivalent refractive error was significantly better in the aphakic group (-0.66 diopter [D] ± 1.59 [SD]) than in the pseudophakic group (-3.25 ± 3.20 D) (P=.04). The rate of postoperative complications in the 2 groups was low (P>.05). Conclusions: In this small short-term study, refractive outcomes were better in aphakic patients than in patients who were left pseudophakic. Although not frequent, posterior segment complications after IOL explantation might necessitate further surgeries and cause decreased visual acuity during long-term follow-up in the aphakic group. Financial Disclosure: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.