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Pharmacological attempts to reduce posterior capsule opacification after cataract surgery – a review
Author(s) -
Walker Thomas D
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
clinical and experimental ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.3
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1442-9071
pISSN - 1442-6404
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2009.01921.x
Subject(s) - medicine , posterior capsule opacification , intraocular lens , lens (geology) , cataract surgery , corneal endothelium , ophthalmology , intraocular lenses , cataract extraction , surgery , capsule , cornea , phacoemulsification , visual acuity , botany , biology , petroleum engineering , engineering
A bstract Reduction of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) after cataract surgery has been achieved since the general acceptance of posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation 30 years ago. Attention to surgical technique on the one hand and changes in lens design and materials on the other have synergistically reduced the incidence of PCO to less than 5% at 5 years. But lens epithelial cells still proliferate and pharmacological prevention has been largely unsuccessful so far. Any agent must be toxic to these lens epithelial cells without being toxic to the corneal endothelium. This review looks at many substances that have been tried and a few that have been partly successful without yet entering clinical practice. Possibilities for future clinical research are canvassed.