Adhesiveness of AcrySof to a collagen film

PURPOSE: To measure the adhesiveness of the AcrySof intraocular lens (IOL) to a collagen film to ascertain its capacity to adhere to the lens capsule. SETTING: Haibara General Hospital, Haibara, and Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. METHODS: Each of five AcrySof IOLs was attached to a collagen film, slightly pressed in intraocular irrigating solution, and then pulled up and off the film with a DuNouy's surface balance. The force recorded by the surface balance at the moment it detached from the film was defined as the lens' adhesiveness. A control experiment was performed using five conventional poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) IOLs. RESULTS: Mean adhesiveness was 2.76 gram-weight (gw) +/- 0.55 (SD) for AcrySof and 0.81 +/- 0.20 gw for PMMA. The difference was statistically significant (P < .0001, t-test). CONCLUSION: AcrySof may have a strong tendency to adhere to the lens capsule, contributing to posterior and anterior capsule clarity and preventing lens decentration in vivo.