Piggybacking intraocular implants to correct pseudophakic refractive error.

Objective: To determine the safety and efficacy of implanting a second intraocular lens (IOL) to correct pseudophakic refractive error.

Design: Noncomparative, prospective, consecutive case series.

Participants: Eight eyes of eight normal pseudophakes and seven eyes of seven postpenetrating keratoplasty (PK) pseudophakes were included in the study.

Intervention: A second intraocular lens (IOL) was implanted anterior to the first in each eye in the study.

Main Outcome Measures: Efficacy was determined based on the achieved refractive correction and Snellen uncorrected visual acuity measurements. Safety was determined based on loss of best-corrected visual acuity and operative and postoperative complications.

Results: Before surgery, spherical equivalents ranged from -5.12 diopters (D) to 7.5 D, with a mean absolute deviation from emmetropia of 3.38 D (1.62). After surgery, spherical equivalents ranged from -2.75 D to 0.5 D, with a mean absolute deviation from emmetropia of 1.21 D (0.90). Before surgery, only 7% of patients had 20/40 or better uncorrected vision, whereas after surgery, 50% had that level of vision.

Conclusions: Implanting a second IOL is a viable option for correcting pseudophakic refractive error.