A comparison of anterior chamber and posterior chamber intraocular lenses after vitreous presentation during cataract surgery: the Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Cataract Study.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of anterior chamber (AC) intraocular lenses (IOLs) and posterior chamber (PC) IOLs implanted after vitreous presentation during extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE).

Design: The study was a prospective, long-term, randomized clinical trial conducted at 19 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers across the United States.

Methods: There were 438 eyes (438 patients) that met preliminary eligibility criteria, suffered vitreous presentation during ECCE (phacoemulsification or classical extracapsular technique), and had sufficient capsular support for a PC IOL without sutures after anterior vitrectomy randomized to either a PC IOL (230 patients) or an AC IOL (208 patients).