Relationship between lens and capsular bag size

PURPOSE: To measure the size of the lens and the empty capsular bag and evaluate the relationship between them. SETTING: Iladevi Cataract & IOL Research Centre, Ahmedabad, India. METHODS: In 46 eye-bank eyes, the equatorial diameter of the lens was measured after a corneoscleral button and the iris were removed. Empty capsular bag diameter was measured after extracapsular cataract extraction through an intact capsulorhexis. RESULTS: Mean lens size was 10.20 mm +/- 0.38 (SD) and mean capsular bag size, 10.38 +/- 0.35 mm. The difference between the size of the lens and that of the empty capsular bag varied from 0 to 0.50 mm (mean 0.20 +/- 0.17 mm). Lenses measuring less than 10.25 mm in diameter showed an increase of 0.25 mm while lenses larger than 10.25 mm showed an increase of 0.09 mm. CONCLUSION: Lens size was larger in our population than in previous studies. The increase in the empty capsular bag size was related to initial lens size.