Accommodative intraocular lens with spring action--Part 2. Fixation in the living rabbit.

After cataracts in 10 eyes of 8 pigmented or albino rabbits had been removed by phacoemulsification, a specially designed 10.0 x 8.5-millimeter accommodative intraocular lens with spring action ("spring IOL") was implanted through a 4.5- to 5.0-millimeter "dumbbell" linear anterior capsular opening. The average follow up was 11 +/- 8 months. All the spring IOLs were almost completely fixed in the capsular bag, and the anterior and posterior capsules remained transparent. However, due to limitations specific to the rabbit, no accommodative power could be detected; also, we observed lens epithelial cells and subsequent fibrous production proceeding from the equatorial area into the area between the optics.