Sutureless artificial iris after phacoemulsification in congenital aniridia.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This article reports the first case of a sutureless artificial iris prosthesis used in combination with cataract surgery for congenital aniridia with successful visual and cosmetic results. CASE REPORT A 15-year-old woman with congenital bilateral partial aniridia, cataracts, and intense photophobia presented to the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Unit of the Ophthalmology Department. She was managed with an artificial iris implant (ArtificialIris, Dr. Schmidt Intraocularlinsen GmbH, Human Optics) fixed in the ciliary sulcus without any sutures after small-incision cataract surgery. At the 1-year follow-up, subjective complaints of glare and photophobia as well as binocular near visual acuity improved significantly. The cosmetic result was excellent. No postoperative complications have been recorded within this period. CONCLUSIONS: The ArtificialIris is a promising device for treating photophobia in congenital aniridia. ArtificialIris does not require suture fixation with adequate capsular support and iris remnants.