Adhesiveness of AcrySof to a collagen film

Purpose: To measure the adhesiveness of the AcrySof(R) intraocular lens (IOL) to a collagen film to ascertain its capacity to adhere to the lens capsule. Setting: Haibara General Hospital, Haibara, and Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, japan. Methods: Each of five AcrySof IOLs was attached to a collagen film, slightly pressed in intraocular irrigating solution]and then pulled up and off the film with a DuNouy's surface balance. The force recorded by the surface balance at the moment it detached from the film was defined as the lens' adhesiveness. A control experiment was performed using five conventional poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) IOLs. Results: Mean adhesiveness was 2.76 gram-weight (gw) +/- 0.55 (SD) for AcrySof and 0.81 +/- 0.20 gw for PMMA. The difference was statistically significant (P < .0001, t-test). Conclusion: AcrySof may have a strong tendency to adhere to the lens capsule, contributing to posterior and anterior capsule clarity and preventing lens decentration in vivo.