Degenerated lens epithelial cells in rabbit and human eyes after intraocular lens implantation

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Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the role of lens epithelial cells (LECs) in posterior capsule opacification. Setting: Departments of Ophthalmology and Pathology, Wakayama Medical College, Department of Anatomy, Kansai Shinkyu College, and Department of Ophthalmology, Kobe Kaisei Hospital, Japan. Methods: We examined the presence of degenerated LECs on the capsules of the eyes of rabbits and a patient after intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Phacoextraction of a crystalline lens and IOL implantation were done in 5 albino rabbits under general anesthesia. The animals were killed after 2 months. Lens capsules were removed and fixed. During vitreous surgery, a lens capsule with an IOL was removed from a patient. Ultrathin sections of specimens were studied by transmission electron microscopy. Results: Presumed LECs proliferated between the posterior capsule and the IOL in association with collagenous matrix, Debris from the degenerated cells and destroyed intracellular organelles was also seen. Conclusion: Lens epithelial cells proliferating on the posterior capsule cannot survive indefinitely. J Cataract Refract Surg 1998; 24:1396-1398