POSTER PRIZE WINNERS SHED NEW LIGHT ON POSTOPERATIVE EFFECTS OF CATARACT AND REFRACTIVE SURGERY

This year’s Poster Prize winners used inventive experiments to investigate the factors influencing outcomes in patients undergoing some of the newer and/or more elective options in cataract and refractive surgery, from small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) to femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS).

Refractive category

First place in the refractive category went to Yu Chi Liu, Singapore, for
 “Corneal wound healing and inflammatory responses after small incision lenticule extraction: comparison of the effects of different refractive corrections and surgical experiences”. The study involved 24 rabbits that underwent the SMILE procedure for corrections of -2D , -4D and -8D performed by either an experienced or an inexperienced surgeon.

Alll corneas remained clear throughout the study, although in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) performed at one day and one week postoperatively showed that those that underwent -8D corrections had significantly higher reflectivity than those undergoing -2D corrections whether or not the surgeon was experienced.

On the other hand, immunofluorescent examination of harvested corneas indicated that levels of fibronectin, a marker for wound healing, CD11b, a marker for inflammation, and HSP47, a marker for keratocyte response, were not influenced by the amount of refractive correction performed. However, among eyes undergoing -2D corrections, the levels of CD11b and HSP47 as well as central retinal thickness measured by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) were significantly higher in eyes where the novice surgeon performed the procedures.

Taking second place in the refractive category was “Computational study of aqueous humor dynamics in two different models of posterior chamber phakic lenses”, by Ana Macarro Merino, Spain. It showed that the flow of aqueous through the iridotomy typically performed with implantation of a standard V4B model ICL was greater than that through the hole in the centre of the newer V4C model, although the latter model had a more natural physiologic flow.

Third place in the category was “Early flap displacement after LASIK: how is the real final outcome of these eyes?”, by Rosario Cobo-Soriano, Spain. His presentation showed that patients with this complication generally do not recover the same level of postoperative vision as that achieved postoperatively before the complication occurred.

Cataract category

Francisco Alba-Bueno, Spain, won first place in the cataract category for “Halos after diffractive bifocal and trifocal intraocular lens implantation: objective and subjective evaluation”. His presentation described the findings from a study in which the halos produced by three lenses, the bifocal Tecnis-1 with additions +4.0, +3.25, +2.75, and the AT LISA-tri and FineVision trifocal lenses were analysed in different lighting conditions and distances by optical bench testing, with special psychophysical software in patients implanted with the lens, and by means of a questionnaire.

Bench testing showed that the size of the halos corresponded to the dioptric power of the near add, trifocal lenses presented a “double-halo”. The psychophysical testing produced similar results regarding halo size but without any double halo in eyes with the trifocal lens. In addition, those with the trifocal lens reported less visual disturbance than those with the other two lenses.

Florian Kretz, Germany, took second place in the cataract category for “Defining the individual near and intermediate distances in different multifocal intraocular lens designs”. It showed that the mean uncorrected binocular reading distances were: 50.8cm for the ZKB00 lens, 40.2cm for the ZLB00, 41.3cm for the the Restor, 47.4cm for the Comfort, 39.3cm for the MF30, 38.9cm for the AT LISA 839 and 37.25cm for the Micro-F.

And finally, Peter Hoffmann, Germany, took third place in the category for “Prediction of axial IOL position in femtosecond laser-assisted (FLACS) and conventional phacoemulsification surgery”, which suggested that the femtolaser capsulotomy may improve the predictability of axial IOL position.