EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
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68 Time continued from page 67 Trying to take a lens out after a YAG capsulotomy complicates an exchange, Dr. McCabe said. "It is important to perform the exchange before opening the capsular bag with the YAG laser to minimize the risk of vitreous pro- lapse through the capsulotomy and subsequent need for anterior vitrec- tomy with increased risk of CME," she said. Dr. Tipperman takes issue with what he calls "the myth of 12 weeks." "People will say that the lens has to be taken out within 12 weeks—if you don't take it out within 12 weeks, you can't do it. That's absolutely not true," Dr. Tipperman said. "Twelve weeks is a very artificial myth that people quote all the time like gospel, and it affects their clinical management of these cases." Both YAG capsulotomies and shrunken anterior capsulorhexis present challenges, but these can be overcome. "If the rhexis is large, I've exchanged people more than 2 or 3 years out from cataract surgery," Dr. Tipperman said. He said that many surgeons be- lieve that a lens can't be exchanged once the patient has been YAGed. "I've exchanged a lot of people over open capsules," Dr. Tipperman said. "It's much harder to do the im- plant exchange if the patient has been YAGed, and the risks are greater, but there is no question you can do it." Pearls for exchange When it comes to exchanging a multifocal lens, Dr. Tipperman said it's important to remember "disper- sive viscoelastic is your friend." Drs. McCabe and Safran agreed. "You don't want to cheapen out Stop guessing. Start measuring! on a lot of viscoelastic and end up needing to do a vitrectomy," Dr. Safran said. "I often go through two sets, which is four tubes." Dr. McCabe keeps a backup three-piece lens for possible sulcus or iris fixation, a set of micro- instruments from MST (Redmond, Wash.), and 9-0 double-armed prolene sutures on hand. After the capsular bag is in- flated, a surgeon may have to sepa- rate the anterior capsular edge and the anterior lens surface with a 27- gauge needle that is slipped under the capsular edge, Dr. McCabe said. Hydrophilic lenses have haptics that often have bulbous ends that can get caught up in fibrotic tissue. "If the haptic is so firmly en- Corneal Topography Color Photos and Videos meshed that damage may occur to the zonules when trying to extract, the haptic can be cut and left behind without ill effects," Dr. McCabe said. Dr. Tipperman said many surgeons worry about cutting the capsule when they are using scissors to cut the lens. "I bring the lens into the ante- rior and then take the new lens and put it in the capsular bag before I take the old lens out, and then I cut the old lens in half," he said. "The new lens is already in the capsule protecting everything before I take the old lens out." Dr. Safran, on the other hand, likes to completely remove the old lens before implanting the new one. "I like to get that first implant The Keratograph 5M – More than a topographer! The Keratograph 5M is an advanced corneal topographer with a built-in real keratometer and a color camera optimized for external imaging. Unique features include examining the meibomian glands, assessing the bulbar redness, measuring the tear fi lm break-up time non-invasively - and more! See the NEW Keratograph at the AAO in Chicago, booth #3814. Toll free 888 - 519 - 5375 sales@oculususa.com www.oculususa.com out and see what's going on with the capsule, and then I like to dissect away fibrosis and strip it off the an- terior and posterior capsule as much as possible using the microforceps," he said. EW Editors' note: Drs. McCabe and Safran had no financial interests related to this article. Dr. Tipperman has financial interests with Alcon (Fort Worth, Texas). Contact information McCabe: cmccabe@theeyeassociates.com Safran: safran12@comcast.net Tipperman: rtipperman@mindspring.com EW FEATURE February 2011 Premium IOLs September 2012 Real Keratometry Tear Film Break Up Time Bulbar Redness Meibography Keratoconus Detection Contact Lens Fitting