Complications of implanting three-piece C-loop posterior chamber lenses in the anterior chamber.

We have examined a total of four eyes in three patients who had undergone implantation of three-piece C-loop posterior chamber intraocular lenses into the anterior chamber. All four eyes exhibited four or more of the following complications: 1) loop encapsulation by peripheral anterior synechiae; 2) recurrent iritis; 3) central loop displacement with corneal endothelial touch; 4) progressive endothelial cell loss and corneal edema; 5) glaucoma; and 6) cystoid macular edema. Intraocular lens removal was required in all four eyes, and penetrating keratoplasty was performed in one. We believe that these complications are attributable to the inherent fallacies of fixating three-piece open-loop lenses in the anterior chamber angle.