“Flapless” trocar-assisted intrascleral fixation technique for Carlevale IOL implantation without conjunctival opening: A novel approach

Background: To present our results using a novel “flapless” trocar-assisted intrascleral fixation technique for Carlevale intraocular lens (IOL) Implantation without conjunctival opening. Methods: Retrospective, non-comparative study of consecutive patients undergoing this technique. Patients older than 18 years who had at least two years post-operative follow-up were included. Results: 61 eyes of 61 consecutive patients were included in the analysis. The study sample included 55.74% males with a median age of 76 years (interquartile range (IQR): 67–82 years). The mean follow-up period was 48.9 months (SD ± 14.38) and the range was between 26 and 76 months. A statistically significant difference was observed between the median pre-operative visual acuity value (1.8LogMAR, IQR: 1.0–1.8) and the median postoperative value visual acuity (0.05 LogMAR, IQR: 0.0–0.1). No intraoperative complications occurred and, the Carlevale IOL was well centered in all cases. No haptic exposure was observed during the follow-up period. Conclusion: The results of our study demonstrate that the proposed technique is a simplified, safe and effective surgical approach for placement of the Carlevale IOL. Further studies are needed to validate our data and explore the results of a longer follow-up.