Incidence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment after bag-in-the-lens IOL implantation: extended follow-up in a larger cohort of patients.

Purpose: To report the incidence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and associated risk factors after cataract surgery using the bag-in-the-lens (BIL) intraocular lens (IOL) implantation technique.

Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: All consecutive BIL IOL surgeries performed between January 2001 and December 2010 were included, with the exclusion of combined procedures and IOL exchanges. The incidence of RRD was reported first in the total cohort, then in a subgroup of patients with 1 year to 5 years of follow-up, and finally in the group remaining after exclusion of all risk factors, except gender. Risk factors associated with RRD were examined using multiple Cox regression analysis with a random intercept.

Results: Rhegmatogenous RD was diagnosed in 36 eyes (1.06%) of 3385 BIL cases, with a mean follow-up of 48.28 ± 40.05 months (range 0 to 195 months). The 2-year cumulative RRD incidence rate was 0.66% (17 cases in 1024 eyes; 0.00% in patients without risk factors). The 5-year cumulative RRD incidence rate was 1.17% (26 cases in 931 eyes; 0.15% without risk factors). Five risk factors were confirmed: male sex, age less than 60 years at the time of surgery, axial length 25.0 mm or greater, a history of contralateral RD, and intraoperative surgical complications.

Conclusions: The incidence of RRD after BIL IOL implantation is comparable with that of lens-in-the-bag (LIB) implantation. This larger study provided a longer follow-up and suggested that RRD incidence is even lower than that previously reported. This study also confirmed intraoperative surgical complications as an additional risk factor for RRD development, as already described with LIB implantation.