Objective  To observe the postoperative outcomes of the scleral fixation of posterior chamber intraocular lens (SF-PCIOL) using the modified Yamane’s technique with the aid of swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).

  Methods  Prospective observational case series. This study involved 20 patients who underwent SF-PCIOL with the modified Yamane’s technique, from December 2017 to November 2019. All patients had routine preoperative examinations, including biometric measurement by IOL master, measurements of uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) and best corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA). The SRK/T formula was used to calculate the power of intraocular lens (IOL). After the surgery, UDVA and intraocular pressure were evaluated for 1 d, UDVA, BCDVA, spherical equivalent (SE) and corneal endothelial cell density were measured for 1 week, 1 month, 3 and 6 months, respectively. The IOL tilt and the symmetry of hepatitis in the scleral tunnel were measured by SS-OCT.

  Results  The mean follow-up duration was (7.20±6.56) months (range, 3-26 months). The mean preoperative UDVA was (1.70±0.38) LogMAR, and it improved to (0.48±0.50) LogMAR (P=0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-operative BCDVA, i.e. (0.44±0.50) LogMAR and (0.32±0.48) LogMAR, respectively (P=0.08). The mean spherical equivalent was (−0.53±0.86) diopter (D) and the postoperative refractive error was (0.27±0.82) D. Seventeen patients underwent SS-OCT examinations. The mean IOL tilt was (3.28±3.00)°. There was no significant difference between the horizontal and vertical tilt (P=0.326). The IOL tilt did not show a significant correlation with spherical and cylindrical refractive error (P=0.532, P=0.241). There was no statistically significant difference in the HL (the length of haptics fixed in the scleral tunnel) of nasal and temporal haptic, which were (2.24±0.20) mm and (2.17±0.23) mm, respectively (P=0.193). And there were no statistically significant differences between the HD (the distance between the center of haptic flange and scleral spur) of nasal and temporal haptic, (1.58±0.07) mm and (1.66±0.08) mm, respectively (P=0.338). The changes of IOL haptics in the scleral tunnel were tracked by 10 patients. The HL (nasal: HL-N; temporal: HL-T) and the HD (nasal: HD-N; temporal: HD-T) of haptics in the tunnel were measured and recorded at three time points, including 1 week, 1 and 3 months after surgery. There was no significant difference in HL-N, HL-T, HD-N and HD-T at the three time points (P=0.931, P=0.091, P=0.175, and P=0.505, respectively). All patients underwent uneventful surgery. The postoperative complications included transient corneal edema in 6 eyes, transient IOP elevation in 3 eyes, vitreous hemorrhage in 1 eye, cystoid macular edema in 2 eyes, and macular hole in 1 eye.

  Conclusion  The SF-PCIOL using modified Yamane’s technique, is capable of producing satisfactory and consistent postoperative outcomes for patients with few postoperative complications. SS-OCT is a powerful tool for measuring optic tilt and the IOL hepatic symmetry in scleral tunnel.