Posterior synechias following implantation of a foldable silicone iris-fixated phakic intraocular lens for the correction of myopia

A 45-year-old white woman with unilateral high myopia had uneventful implantation of a −9.0 diopter, foldable, iris-fixated Artiflex I anterior chamber phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) (Ophtec B.V.) in the right eye. Despite application of topical antibiotic and steroid agents for 4 weeks after surgery, iris pigment dispersion developed on the anterior surface of the crystalline lens. Two weeks later, the iris dispersion increased and posterior synechias developed from the iris to the crystalline lens next to the pIOL haptic at the 3 o'clock position. Consequently, pIOL re-enclavation was performed without surgically removing the posterior synechias. Initial and interim mydriatic and steroid eyedrops were administered 4 times a day. Regular follow-up examinations after re-enclavation (at 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months) confirmed a stable pIOL position by Scheimpflug photography. Two years after implantation, posterior synechias persisted at the 3 o'clock position, with iris dispersion on the crystalline lens and the posterior side of the pIOL, but with no signs of anterior chamber inflammation and no visual acuity loss.