Histopathological Analyses of the Differences in Foreign Body Cell Reactions against Intraocular Lenses According to the Period of Implantation

We examine if cell adhesion to the surface of an intraocular lens varies with the period of implantation. Samples of extracted intraocular lenses (IOLs) that had been implanted during 1987-2000 (n=72, early group) and those during 2001–2014 (n=182, late group) were included. IOLs were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and grouped according to the presence or absence of cellular deposits on the central area of the IOL anterior surface. Silicone IOLs were excluded because the silicone material does not adhere to cells. The early group included four poly( ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) IOLs, 45 poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) IOLs, and 23 acryl IOLs, and the late group included four PEMA IOLs, 19 PMMA IOLs, 152 acrylic IOLs, and seven hydrogel IOLs. Twenty-six of 72 samples (36%) in the early group and 43 of 182 IOLs (23%) in the late group were associated with cellular deposits in the central area of the IOL surface. The difference was statistically significant using the chi-square test. The number of IOLs with cell adhesions was less in the late group when compared with the early group.