Secondary cataract material collected with a glass cannula: A SEM study

Secondary cataract material from three patients, collected with a glass cannula approx. 18, 24 and 30 months respectively after operation, was prepared for SEM examination. For the soft samples this was done by filtration through a millipore filter followed by fixation and drying. The more solid material was suspended in a fixation solution, followed by centrifuging, suspension in 70% ethanol and drying on a specimen-holder. The short residence samples (18 months) showed mainly erythrocytes, some (inflammatory) cells and degenerated lens-fibre material. Most of the more solid material, which was collected more than 20 months after operation, showed fragments of (regenerated) capsule epithelium and pieces of solid lens-fibre material with fragments of capsule epithelium attached.