Postoperative complications of capsulorhexis.

Capsulorhexis has become the preferred method of anterior capsulotomy, and untoward effects have not been frequently noted. Nevertheless, distinct complications of continuous tear anterior capsulotomy are now recognized. These include capsular bag hyperdistention, shrinkage of the anterior capsule opening with visual loss and/or intraocular lens decentration, and lens epithelial cell hyperproliferation on the posterior lens capsule. The latter has not been reported and may be associated wit reduction or closure of laser posterior capsulotomies in the form of a "string of pearls" around the capsule opening. Current styles of capsular surgery and intraocular lens implantation in which the anterior capsule edge overlaps the lens may be responsible for these phenomena. Although altering the surgical methods may obscure these complications, eliminating the anterior subcapsular and equatorial lens epithelial cells is necessary to prevent capsule contraction and lens epithelial cell hyperproliferation.