Intraocular Lens Opacification After Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty: Risk Factors and Outcomes After Intraocular Lens Exchange.

PURPOSE: To determine risk factors for intraocular lens (IOL) opacification (IOLop) after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and to analyze clinical outcomes after IOL exchange.

METHODS

Cross-Sectional Study : Analysis of all cases of IOL exchange because of post-DMEK IOLop with a minimum of 6-month postoperative follow-up observed in clinic between November 2021 and April 2022. Main outcomes analyzed at the study visit were change in logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity after IOL exchange, endothelial cell loss (ECL), and graft survival. An historical cohort of 232 pseudophakic DMEK eyes was retrospectively analyzed to determine risk factors for post-DMEK IOLop.

RESULTS

Cross-Sectional Study : Four eyes were observed (median follow-up = 45 (35.5-86.8) months). IOL materials were hydrophilic acrylic IOLs in 2 eyes and hydrophobic-hydrophilic in the other 2. At the study visit, improvement in median best-corrected visual acuity after IOL exchange was statistically significant (0.25 (0.19-0.41) logMAR to 0.00 (0-0.10) logMAR; P = 0.041). ECL ranged between 57.7% and 85.3%, without cases of graft failure. In the historical cohort, 21 eyes (9.05%) had some IOLop. In multivariate logistic regression model (105 eyes where IOL material data was available), IOLs with high water content material (odds ratio = 65.5, P = 0.0005) and rebubbling (odds ratio = 9.51, P = 0.0138) were independent risk factors for post-DMEK IOLop.

CONCLUSIONS

Post-DMEK IOLop is infrequent, but a non-neglectable proportion of cases may require IOL explantation. IOL exchange is safe and effective in these eyes but may pose a risk for increased ECL. This study confirms that IOL material and number of rebubblings are major risk factors for post-DMEK IOLop.