Purpose: To assess whether complication rates are comparable between phacovitrectomy using multipiece lenses versus single-piece foldable intraocular lenses.
Methods: Single-center, multisurgeon retrospective comparative consecutive interventional case series. Two hundred and seventy-one patients undergoing combined phacovitrectomy performed during a single session at a university-based ophthalmology practice from 2004 to 2013 were identified, of whom 184 met study inclusion criteria; 56.4% patients had diabetes mellitus.
Results: There was no difference in the total incidences of postoperative complications between combined surgery using single-piece and multipiece intraocular lenses (P = 0.80) or among individual complications between the 2 groups, including synechiae (2.7 vs. 5.3%; P = 0.61), pupillary capture (0.7 and 2.6%; P = 0.36), and lens subluxation (1.4 and 0%; P > 0.99). There was no difference in the incidences of complications in patients with diabetes mellitus compared with nondiabetic patients undergoing phacovitrectomy (P = 0.13). Complication rates did not differ between single-piece and multipiece lenses with the use of postoperative intravitreal tamponade (P = 0.67).
Conclusion: Single-piece, acrylic intraocular lenses are associated with a low rate of surgical complications after combined phacovitrectomy and represent an acceptable alternative to multipiece foldable intraocular lenses under the circumstances and using the surgical techniques implemented in this study.