Reduced Incidence of Retinal Detachment Post-YAG Capsulotomy with High A-constant IOLs

Objective: To determine if an intraocular lens (IOL) with a high A constant reduced the incidence of retinal detachment following YAG laser capsulotomy. Study Design: Patients had to have a minimum of 1 year follow-up following a YAG capsulotomy. This is a retrospective analysis of a consecutive series of 254 YAG lasers. Setting: An out-patient clinical practice. Main Outcome Measures: Incidence of retinal detachment and A constant of the IOLs used for the primary cataract surgery. Results: Zero percent incidence of retinal detachment in patients with IOLs having an A constant of 118.5 or greater (103 patients) and 4.8% incidence of retinal detachment of patients having an IOL of less than 118.5 (42 patients) (P = 0.08%). Conclusions: This study shows a definite trend towards a reduced rate of retinal detachment with high A-constant IOLs. In order to achieve a 90% confidence level it is necessary to have 450 patients in each group in order to compare the data. A multi-centre study is underway to achieve this.