Effects of the Shearing posterior chamber intraocular lens on the corneal endothelium.

A consecutive group of 67 patients (70 eyes) with senile cataract underwent extracapsular cataract extraction and implantation of a Shearing posterior chamber intraocular lens. After two years of follow-up, there was an 11% +/- 2% decrease in central cell density (P less than .001), a 20% +/- 2% decrease in superior cell density (P less than .001), and a 5% +/- 3% decrease in inferior cell density (P less than .005). Complications included corneal edema requiring a corneal transplant (one patient), a sterile nonhealing ulcer that required a conjunctival flap (one patient), and secondary glaucoma (one patient). Nine patients had visual acuities poorer than 20/40 but none had cystoid macular edema. Primary or secondary capsulotomy did not significantly increase endothelial cell loss. Central endothelial cell loss from extracapsular cataract extraction with Shearing posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation was correlated with age, as well as with preoperative superior endothelial cell density (P less than .05).