Prevention of secondary cataract by antimitotic drugs: experimental study.

To prevent the development of secondary cataract, mitomycin C (MC, 0.2 mg/ml) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, 50 mg/ml) were introduced in the irrigating solution (BSS Plus) during an extracapsular lens extraction in albino rabbits. Cellular multiplication in the whole lens capsule was quantified by means of flow cytometry. The total number of residual cells in the capsule after lens extraction together with the mitotic phases of the cell cycle were studied. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.005, Student t test) was obtained between the two groups treated with antimitotics when compared with the control group regarding the inhibition of mitosis in the capsular cell population together with the total cell number. However, 5-FU has shown a more potent inhibitory effect than MC (p < .0.005, Student t test). We did not record any ocular complication during a postoperative period of 2 months. MC and 5-FU could be a promising alternative in the prevention of posterior capsule opacification.