Scanning electron microscopic characteristics of manually loaded and preloaded foldable acrylic intraocular lenses.

Purpose:: To compare surface alterations between preloaded and manually loaded intraocular lens.

Methods:: Scanning electron microscope was utilized to evaluate surface alteration and deposits in four different types of intraocular lenses: preloaded hydrophobic acrylic, preloaded hydrophilic acrylic, manually loaded hydrophobic acrylic, and manually loaded hydrophilic acrylic. Six lenses with different powers (+6 D, +22 D, and +29 D) were used from each category, to represent different thickness categories of the intraocular lenses.