Four year follow-up of the MemoryLens

PURPOSE: To determine whether the long-term results of implantation of thermoelastic MemoryLens intraocular lenses (IOLs) are comparable to those of conventional poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) IOLs. SETTING: St. Elisabeth Hospital, Dillingen, Germany. METHODS: This retrospective study compared visual acuity, astigmatism, lens decentration, biocompatibility, and posterior capsule opacification in 36 eyes with a MemoryLens with those in 36 eyes with a conventional PMMA IOL over 4 years. The MemoryLenses were implanted in 1991 after cataract extraction by phacoemulsification. RESULTS: Four years postoperatively, best corrected visual acuity was 20/20 to 20/25 in 63.9% of the MemoryLens group and 55.6% of the PMMA group. Mean astigmatism was 0.84 diopters (D) in the MemoryLens group and 1.20 D in the PMMA group. No cellular precipitates, as evaluated by biomicroscopy, or lens decentration greater than 0.5 mm were found in either group. Posterior capsule opacification, which developed in 22.2% in the MemoryLens group and 38.9% in the PMMA group, was treated with a neodymium: YAG laser capsulotomy. CONCLUSION: The MemoryLens allows small incision cataract surgery and long-term results that compare favorably with those of PMMA IOLs.