Preliminary results with a new hydrogel intraocular lens.

The merits of hydrogel as an intraocular lens material are that it is soft, foldable, hydrophilic, autoclavable and more biocompatible than polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Twenty eyes were implanted with a new hydrogel design after phacoemulsification. Fifty per cent achieved a corrected acuity of 6/5 and all achieved 6/9 with correction. Results confirmed an excellent biocompatibility of the material but two cases of asymptomatic decentration indicated the occasional instability within the capsular sac. For best results the hydrogel requires an intact capsulorrhexis with a diameter between 4.5 and 5.0 mm.