Assessment of the blood-aqueous barrier by fluorophotometry following poly(methyl methacrylate), silicone, and hydrogel lens implantation in rabbit eyes

Intraocular lenses of silicone, hydrogel, or acrylic materials that can be implanted through small incisions are being proposed as an alternative to conventional poly(methyl methacrylate) lenses. The potential of each of these materials to stimulate intraocular inflammation is important in their selection as an implantable material. To investigate the potential of each material, we assessed by clinical slitlamp examination, fluorophotometry, and histopathology the inflammatory response induced in the rabbit eye following phacoemulsification and implantation of hydrogel, silicone, or poly(methyl methacrylate) intraocular lenses. All lenses seemed to be equally well tolerated. In general, the degree of inflammation seen clinically decreased over the four-month study; however, anterior segment fluorophotometry showed continued mild interruption of the blood-aqueous barrier in all lens groups. Fluorophotometry is a sensitive method to assess persistent subclinical anterior segment inflammation.