ReSTOR IOL good in post LASIK cataract patients

The use of the ReSTOR intraocular lens (IOL) (Alcon) for patients requiring cataract surgery after prior laser photoablation can result in excellent outcomes if optical results fall near emmetropia, according to Samuel Masket of the USA.

A total of 16 eyes of 11 patients were chosen to receive the lens after discussing thoroughly the risks, benefits and alternative lens options. Presurgical biometry was performed by partial coherence interferometry and appropriate formulae applied for IOL power calculation.

Surgery was performed using topical and intracameral anaesthesia employing phacoemulsification through clear corneal temporal incisions. Five patients underwent bilateral surgery while the remaining six required surgery in just one eye.

The results showed that all five bilateral patients were fully independent of spectacles after surgery and that, in all, ten of the eleven patients were very satisfied with the visual outcomes. One patient was moderately dissatisfied despite achieving 20/25 and J2+ uncorrected visual acuities. There were no complications of surgery and no IOLs were removed or exchanged.

Masket concluded that the ReSTOR IOL offers a good option for patients needing cataract surgery after laser photoablation.

Ophthalmology Times Europe reporting from the XXIV Congress of the ESCRS, London, 9-13 September, 2006.