To analyze the indications for explantation or exchange of intraocular lenses (IOLs), which were originally implanted for the correction of aphakia during cataract extraction.

All cases that involved intraocular lens explantation or exchange in one institution between January 2008 and December 2014 were analyzed retrospectively.

In total, 93 eyes of 93 patients were analyzed. The median time interval between implantation and explantation of the anterior chamber intraocular lenses (AC IOL) and posterior chamber intraocular lenses (PC IOL) was 83.40 ± 83.14 months (range: 1-276 months) and 55.14 ± 39.25 months (range: 1-168 months), respectively. Pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (17 eyes, 38.6%) and persistent iritis (12 eyes, 27.8%) in the AC IOL group and dislocation or decentration (30 eyes, 61.2%) and incorrect IOL power (nine eyes, 18.4%) in the PC IOL group were the most common indications for explantation of IOLs. The mean logMAR best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved significantly from 1.30 preoperatively to 0.62 postoperatively in the PC IOL group (p<0.001) but did not improve significantly in the AC IOL group (p=0.186).

The primary indication for IOL explantation or exchange was pseudophakic bullous keratopathy in the AC IOL group and was dislocation or decentration in the PC IOL group. PC IOL explantation or exchange is safe and improves visual acuity.