Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of using phakic intraocular lenses (IOLs) to correct high myopia by comparing 3 IOL models: Adatomed, Staar, and Artisan.
Setting: La Fe University Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology, and the Fundación Oftalmológica del Mediterráneo, Valencia, Spain.
Methods: In this prospective comparative study, a phakic IOL was implanted in 217 highly myopic eyes (118 patients). Fifty-nine eyes received an Adatomed IOL, 21 eyes a Staar IOL, and 137 eyes an Artisan IOL. The mean preoperative spherical equivalent was -15.39 diopters (D) +/- 2.83 (SD), -16.00 +/- 5.05 D, and -16.17 +/- 2.75 D in the Adatomed, Staar, and Artisan groups, respectively. The mean follow-up was 32.4 months (range 19 to 46 months) in the Adatomed group, 18.3 months (range 11 to 21 months) in the Staar group, and 121.4 months (range 38.4 to 154.3 months) in the Artisan group. At the follow-up examinations, intraocular pressure (IOP), IOL pigment deposits, cataract formation, and visual acuity were evaluated.
Results: The best corrected and uncorrected visual acuities improved in all eyes. No significant differences in visual acuity improvement were observed with the 3 materials, although the improvement was somewhat greater in eyes with the Artisan and Staar IOLs. The difference in mean IOP between preoperatively and the last follow-up examination was 1.5 mm Hg in the Staar group, 1.3 mm Hg in the Adatomed group, and 1.7 mm Hg in the Artisan group (P =.36, P =.26, and P =.32, respectively). The incidence of pigment deposits was similar in the Adatomed and Staar groups, with deposits in 32 eyes (54.23%) and 8 eyes (38.1%), respectively. Anterior cataract formation was higher in the Adatomed group (44.06%) than in the Staar group (9.52%); nuclear cataract developed in 2 Adatomed eyes (1.46%) only.
Conclusions: There was a higher incidence of anterior subcapsular cataract formation in the Adatomed group than in the Staar group. Delayed cataract development and the cataract type in patients with Artisan IOLs indicate that age and axial length may be prognostic factors. Factors such as IOL design, material, and placement probably affect cataract formation in eyes with posterior chamber IOLs for high myopia, particularly the Adatomed IOL.