Light Scatter on the Surface of AcrySof ® Intraocular Lenses: Part I. Analysis of Lenses Retrieved From Pseudophakic Postmortem Human Eyes

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cause of light scatter measured on the surface of AcrySof intraocular lenses (Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX) retrieved from pseudophakic postmortem human eyes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten intraocular lenses (Alcon AcrySofModel MA60BM) were retrieved postmortem and analyzed for light scatter before and after removal of surface-bound biofilms. RESULTS: Six of the 10 lenses exhibited light scatter that was clearly above baseline levels. In these 6 lenses, both peak and average pixel density were reduced by approximately 80% after surface cleaning. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrates that a coating deposited in vivo on the lens surface is responsible for the light scatter observed when incident light is applied.