Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) is the most common complication associated with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Unfortunately, current in vitro models cannot be used to assess the potential of PCO due to their failure to simulate the posterior curvature of the lens capsule (LC) and IOL, a factor known to affect PCO pathogenesis in clinic. To overcome such a challenge, a new system to study IOL: LC interaction and potentially predict PCO was developed in this effort. It is believed that the interactions between an IOL and the lens capsule may influence the extent of PCO formation. Specifically, strong adhesion force between an IOL and the LC may impede lens epithelial cell migration and proliferation and thus reduce PCO formation. To assess the adhesion force between an IOL and LC, a new in vitro model was established with simulated LC and a custom-designed micro-force tester. A method to fabricate simulated LCs was developed by imprinting IOLs onto molten gelatin to create simulated three dimensional (3D) LCs with curvature resembling the bag-like structure that collapses on the IOL post implantation. By pushing the LC mold vertically downward, while measuring the change in position of the bending bar with respect to its start position, the adhesion force between the IOLs and LCs was measured.

An in vitro system that can measure the adhesion force reproducibly between an IOL and LC with a resolution of ~1 μN was established in this study. During system optimization, the 10% high molecular weight gelatin produced the best LC with the highest IOL: LC adhesion force with all test lenses that were fabricated from acrylic foldable, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and silicone materials. Test IOLs exerted different adhesion force with the 3D simulated LCs in the following sequence: acrylic foldable IOL > silicone IOL > PMMA IOL. These results are in good agreement with the clinical observations associated with PCO performance of IOLs made of the same materials. This novel in vitro system can provide valuable insight on the IOL: LC interplay and its relationship to clinical PCO outcomes.

后囊混浊（PCO）是与人工晶状体（IOL）植入相关的最常见并发症。不幸的是，由于无法模拟晶状体囊（LC）和IOL（已知会影响临床中PCO发病机理的因素）的后曲率，当前的体外模型无法用于评估PCO的潜力。为了克服这一挑战，在这项工作中开发了一种新的系统来研究IOL：LC相互作用并可能预测PCO。据信，IOL和晶状体囊之间的相互作用可能影响PCO形成的程度。具体而言，IOL和LC之间的强粘附力可能会阻碍晶状体上皮细胞迁移和增殖，从而减少PCO的形成。为了评估IOL和LC之间的粘附力使用模拟LC和定制设计的微力测试仪建立了体外模型。通过将IOL压印到熔融明胶上以创建曲率类似于在IOL植入后塌陷的袋状结构的模拟三维（3D）LC，从而开发了一种制造模拟LC的方法。通过垂直向下推动LC模具，同时测量弯曲杆相对于其开始位置的位置变化，同时测量IOL和LC之间的粘附力。

在这项研究中，建立了一个体外系统，该系统可以再现地测量IOL和LC之间的粘附力，分辨率约为1μN。在系统优化过程中，所有由丙烯酸可折叠，聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯（PMMA）和有机硅材料制成的测试镜片，具有10％高分子量明胶的ILC：LC附着力最高。测试IOL与3D模拟LC按以下顺序施加不同的附着力：丙烯酸折叠IOL>硅树脂IOL> PMMA IOL。这些结果与由相同材料制成的IOL的PCO性能相关的临床观察非常吻合。这本小说在体外 该系统可以提供有关IOL：LC相互作用及其与临床PCO结果之间关系的宝贵见解。