Sutureless Scleral Fixated IOL: The “Catcher Pole” Technique

PURPOSE: To describe a new surgical technique for sutureless intrascleral intraocular lens (IOL) fixation with an adapted retinal scraper used as an instrument “the Catcher Pole” to retrieve the IOL haptic through a scleral tunnel. SETTING: Public Eye Hospital, Roma, Italy. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: Twenty-one eyes from 19 patients who underwent sutureless intrascleral IOL fixation were studied. A standard three-piece posterior chamber IOL (PCIOL) was implanted in aphakia or rescued and fixated in cases of dislocated PCIOL. A 23 to 25 G retinal loop scraper (the “Catcher Pole“) was inserted through a 1.5 mm long tunneled sclerotomy performed on the horizontal meridian, to capture, hold and externalize the tip of the haptic of the IOL. A flange created with an handheld cautery on the externalized haptic tip prevents IOL slippage. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central corneal pachymetry (CCP), IOL tilt and complications were assessed. RESULTS: In twenty-one eyes of 19 patients, the mean preoperative BCVA was 0.61 logMAR units ±0.05 SD, and the mean postoperative BCVA improved significantly to 0.18 logMAR units at three months ±0.05 SD (P=0.002). The mean preoperative CCP was 610 µ ±17 SD and the mean postoperative CCP 623 µ ±16 SD, (P=0.73). In the subgroup that underwent IOL tilt evaluation, mean IOL tilt was 3.19±2.01. The postoperative complications included iris capture of the IOL in one eye (4,7%) and transient ocular hypertension in two eyes (9,4%). CONCLUSIONS: The “Catcher Pole” sutureless intrascleral IOL fixation technique is easy to perform with reduced anterior chamber manipulations and achieves both anatomical and optical stability.