Phakic poterior chamber intraocular len for the correction of aniometropia and treatment of amblyopia

PURPOE: To ae the potential viual benefit of poterior chamber phakic intraocular len implant in eye of children with aniometropic amblyopia. METHOD: In a propective tudy, three girl 9, 14, and 18 year old with high aniometropia and deep amblyopia were included in thi tudy. The phakic poterior chamber intraocular len (ICL; TAAR urgical AG, Nidau, witzerland) wa ued to correct the aniometropia. Thi intraocular len wa inerted in the anterior chamber through a 3.0-mm temporal clear cornea inciion and manipulated into the poterior chamber uing an iri manipulator. A peripheral iridectomy wa performed uing the Ocutome Probe (torz; Premiere, t. Loui, Miouri). Local therapy with corticoteroid and antibiotic were precribed for 2 week, and patient were followed regularly for a period of 6 to 9 month. REULT: In the three amblyopic eye of the three patient, the preoperative bet-corrected viual acuity of 6/30, 6/60, and 6/30 improved, to 6/7.5 (20/25), 6/30 (20/100), and 6/15 (20/50), repectively, 6 month after the urgery. Binocular function with development of fuional abilitie and tereopi were oberved in two of thee patient after the intraocular len implantation. In the third patient, the fuional abilitie developed only after urgical correction of the exotropia. The intraocular preure remained within normal limit, and there wa no ignificant change in the corneal endothelial cell count during the period of follow-up. No major intraoperative or potoperative complication were oberved, except for a temporary pigment diperion. CONCLUION: Implantation of phakic poterior chamber intraocular lene may be beneficial for the treatment of amblyopia in children with aniometropia. Although additional cae and long-term follow-up obervation are neceary, it appear that amblyopia may be overcome by the ue of poterior chamber phakic intraocular len implant, even in eye of children beyond the age generally conidered to be reponive to anti-amblyopic treatment.