Transscleral intraocular lens fixation with a “homemade” needle and hook

We describe an ab externo, transscleral, intraocular lens (IOL) fixation technique using a surgeon-fashioned 25-gauge hook, a neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG)-modified 27-gauge needle, and 9-0 polypropylene suture. This is a simple, inexpensive technique for creating small-gauge surgical instruments to accurately and atraumatically pass 9-0 and 10-0 polypropylene sutures through sclera. Holes, through which sutures can be threaded, are "burned" near the tips of 27-gauge or 30-gauge needles with an Nd:YAG laser. Using a fine needle holder, a 25-gauge hook is fashioned from a hypodermic needle. A surgical technique incorporating 2 ab externo incisions and achieving transscleral posterior chamber IOL fixation is discussed.