[Postoperative fitting of soft contact lenses in aphakia. (A trial with Weicon 38 and Weicon 72) (author's transl)].

In a controlled clinical pilot study 48 aphakic eyes were fitted with HEMA soft lenses on the 3rd postoperative day. An optically satisfactory and wearable fit was obtained neither with the conventional hydrated Weicon 38, nor with the highly hydrophilic Weicon 72. The main reasons were centralizing and motility defects of the lenses, which might be eliminated by an improved lens design. A further 57 patients showed an increase in corneal thickness following cataract extraction. The early fitting of permanent soft aphakic lenses should be delayed until the 4th day postoperatively, by which time the oedema has reduced and the cornea has reached approximately its pre-operative thickness.