Surgical Outcome of Refixation versus Exchange of Dislocated Intraocular Lens: A Retrospective Cohort Study

We compared the surgical outcomes and complications of refixation vs. exchange of dislocated intraocular lenses (IOLs) in patients who underwent transscleral suture fixation combined with pars plana vitrectomy for the treatment of IOL dislocation. A total of 83 eyes (n = 83 patients) with postoperative follow-up of ≥6 months were evaluated: 40 received refixation of dislocated IOL (refixation group) while 43 received IOL exchange (exchange group) treatment. Treatment outcomes, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spherical equivalent, corneal cylinder, intraocular pressure (IOP), central macular thickness (CMT), and corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), and postoperative complications were retrospectively reviewed. BCVA improvement at 6 months after surgery was comparable between the groups. Postoperative decrease in corneal ECD was significantly greater in the exchange group than in the refixation group, but no significant differences were found in spherical equivalent, corneal cylinder, IOP, or CMT changes. The exchange group experienced significantly more frequent postoperative vitreoretinal complications, such as retinal detachment, choroidal effusion, cystoid macular edema, and secondary epiretinal membrane, than the refixation group. Without any reason to extract the dislocated IOL, reuse of the dislocated IOL would be a better surgical option for transscleral suture fixation to protect corneal endothelial cells and prevent postoperative vitreoretinal complications.