Bilateral Artificial Iris implantation in patients with bilateral iris defects

PURPOSE: Binocular traumatic or atraumatic iris defects can lead to an increased sensitivity to glare and cosmetic disfigurement. Surgical iris reconstruction is one approach to alleviate these problems. We report the clinical outcomes after medically indicated bilateral implantation of an Artificial Iris prosthesis in three patients with binocular iris defects with different etiologies. OBSERVATIONS: All three patients underwent binocular CUSTOMFLEX ArtificialIris (AI) (HumanOptics AG, Erlangen, Germany) implantation with simultaneous cataract surgery. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest refraction, Contrast sensitivity, endothelial cell density and subjective visual impairment as well as subjective cosmetic disfigurement were measured pre- and postoperatively. CDVA remained stable or improved in all three patients. We observed an increase in contrast sensitivity and reduction of glare sensitivity in two patients. All patients reported satisfaction with the cosmetical result after the implantation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: The bilateral Artificial Iris implantation is an effective therapeutic option to reduce glare sensitivity and to achieve an aesthetically pleasing result also in selected patients with binocular traumatic or atraumatic iris defects.