The following is a summary of “Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic IOLs in Patients with Uveitis – A Randomised Clinical Trial,” published in the February 2025 issue of Ophthalmology by Pålsson et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to compare the inflammatory response, visual acuity, and complications of 2 intraocular lenses (IOLs) in patients with and without uveitis.
They randomized patients with and without uveitis, eligible for cataract surgery, to receive either a hydrophobic or hydrophilic square-edged IOL. In cases of bilateral surgery, 1 eye received a hydrophobic IOL and the other a hydrophilic IOL. The outcome measures included visual acuity, flare, and central foveal thickness.
The results showed 34 (61%) patients with uveitis (52 eyes) and 22 (39%) patients with non-uveitis (38 eyes) and no significant difference in corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was observed between the 2 IOL materials. Flare measurements at 6 months post-surgery showed no significant difference between eyes receiving hydrophilic or hydrophobic IOLs; mean differences were − 3.2 (SD ± 20.7) ph/ms in uveitis eyes (P = 0.53) and − 0.6 (SD ± 7.5) ph/ms in non-uveitis eyes (P = 0.77). No significant difference in cystoid macular edema (CME) was found in patients with uveitic receiving hydrophobic (n = 2; 8.0%) vs hydrophilic IOLs (n = 6; 22.2%; P = 0.25).
Investigators concluded that neither hydrophobic nor hydrophilic IOLs demonstrated superiority regarding postoperative inflammation or CME rates in patients with uveitic undergoing cataract surgery, though both types of IOLs improved CDVA.
