Abstract:

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the clinical results of cataract surgery performed using iris hook in our clinic. Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent cataract surgery via phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation (PHACO+IOL) that was performed using iris hook were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were evaluated in terms of cataract type, associated ocular diseases, pre-operative and post-operative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure (IOP). Results: Out of 3020 eyes treated with PHACO+IOL, iris hook was used in 21 eyes. The mean age of these patients (15 men/8 women) was 71.9±12.1 (range=30-90) years. Thirteen percent of patients had mature cataract, 65.2% had nuclear cataract and 21.7% had nuclear+posterior subcapsular cataract. Regarding associated ocular diseases, it was shown that 43.5% of patients had pseudoexfoliation syndrome and 30.4% had primary open-angle glaucoma. Additionally, 34.8% of patients had hypertension, 4.3% had diabetes mellitus and 17.4% had hypertension+diabetes mellitus. Forty-three point five percent of patients had no history of systemic diseases. Capsular tension ring was used in 13% of surgeries. No posterior capsular perforation was detected. A 3-piece hydrophobic, acrylic, foldable IOL was implanted in-the-bag position in all eyes. Mean pre-operative BCVA was 0.18±0.13 (Snellen visual acuity chart) and mean post-operative BCVA was 0.32±0.23. The mean change in BCVA was 0.15±0.25 and this change was statistically significant (p=0.010). BCVA increased in 65.2% of the patients (n=15), decreased in 21.7% (n=5) and remained the same in 13% (n=3). Mean preoperative IOP was 19.65±5.07 and mean post-operative IOP was 17.26±5.76. The decrease in IOP was not statistically significant (p=0.078). Conclusion: Although cataract surgery is a risky condition in patients with narrow pupils, our results with iris hook were satisfactory.

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