Surgical outcomes and complications of sutureless needle-guided intrascleral intraocular lens fixation combined with vitrectomy

Purpose: To analyze the surgical outcomes and complications of sutureless needle-guided intrascleral intraocular lens (IOL) implantation (Yamane technique) combined with pars plana vitrectomy. Methods: Retrospective study of 47 eyes of 46 patients that underwent scleral fixation of IOL by the Yamane technique combined with 3-port pars plana vitrectomy. Demographic data, primary indications for surgery, history of trauma, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), duration of follow-up, and complications were analyzed. Results: Mean preoperative BCVA was 0.79 logMAR, which improved to 0.39 logMAR at mean 4.21 months (SD: 4.87 D) follow-up. Mean spherical equivalent pre and postoperative was + 7.64 D (SD: 7.74 D) and - 0.47 D (SD: 2.26 D), respectively. Early postoperative complications included hypotony with cyclodialysis cleft (n = 1; 2%), mild vitreous hemorrhage (n = 2; 4%), raised IOP (n = 2; 4%), and transient corneal edema (n = 2; 4%). Late complications included iris optic capture (n = 1; 2%), retinal detachment (n = 1; 2%), cystoid macular edema (CME; n = 2; 4%), IOL decentration (n = 1; 2%), and decentration and tilting of IOL (n = 1; 2%). Management of complications included laser treatment to cyclodialysis cleft, observation for vitreous hemorrhage, topical and oral IOP lowering agents for raised IOP. CME was managed with topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. One eye was subjected IOL refixation. The mean number of surgeries per eye was 1.04. Conclusion: Combining needle-guided intrascleral IOL implantation with vitrectomy allows management of other posterior segment complications in the same sitting while obviating the need for the second surgery. It provides satisfactory outcomes that are comparable to published studies. However, a longer follow-up will allow a better understanding of the potential advantages of this approach.