Preferred Practice Patterns Survey Of Secondary Intraocular Lens Implantation In Spain
Published 2026 - 44th Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: FP25.15 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/399d-be49
Authors: Dr Victoria De Rojas* 1 , Dr Javier Mendicute 2 , A/Prof. Alfredo García Layana 3 , Dr Juan Manuel Cubero Parra 4 , Dr Sergio Recalde Mestre 5
1Ophthalmology,Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, A Coruña,Spain, 2Clínica Miranza Begitek,San Sebastián,Spain, 3Clínica Universitaria de Navarra,Pamplona,Spain, 4Hospital Arruzafa,Córdoba,Spain, 5Universidad de Navarra,Pamplona,Spain
Purpose
To determine preferred practice patterns for secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in the absence of capsular support among Spanish ophthalmologists.
Setting
Spain. Design: Cross-sectional study based on an anonymous online survey. An online questionnaire (31 items) was distributed to members of the Sociedad Española de Cirugía Ocular Implanto-Refractiva (SECOIR) and the Sociedad Española de Retina y Vítreo (SERV).
Methods
Design: Cross-sectional study based on an anonymous online survey. An online questionnaire (31 items) was distributed to members of the Sociedad Española de Cirugía Ocular Implanto-Refractiva (SECOIR) and the Sociedad Española de Retina y Vítreo (SERV). Sections covered demographics, preferred surgical techniques for aphakia, techniques abandoned and reasons, and choices in predefined clinical scenarios with comorbidities.
Results
A total of 210 ophthalmologists completed the survey. Overall, 59% reported no training on this topic during residency. When an intraoperative complication precluded in-the-bag IOL implantation, 69% preferred delaying secondary IOL placement, mainly to obtain specific instruments or IOLs (83.3%). The preferred approach to concomitant vitreous management was complete pars plana vitrectomy in 61% of cases. First-choice techniques for secondary IOL implantation were retropupillary iris-claw IOL (33.3%), scleral-fixated IOL with T-shaped haptics (28.6%), prepupillary iris-claw IOL (15.2%), and Canabrava technique (8.6%). No respondent selected iris-sutured IOL or Scharioth technique; angle-supported anterior chamber IOL was chosen by only 3.3%.
Conclusions
Retropupillary iris-claw IOL implantation is the preferred option for aphakia without capsular support among Spanish ophthalmologists, followed by the scleral-fixated IOL with T-shaped harpoon haptics and prepupillary iris-claw IOL. The reported lack of training suggests a potential gap in residency and fellowship programs.