Lens Dislocation



Lens Dislocation


Elizabeth Yetter

Khurram Chaudhary



THE CLINICAL CHALLENGE

There are a number of challenges with ectopia lentis, more commonly known as lens dislocation. The symptoms of dislocation of a patient’s natural lens or an implanted lens may vary. Patients may report immediate or gradual vision loss and may have associated large floaters or diplopia—either monocular or binocular. Depending on the etiology, the vision loss may or may not be accompanied by pain.

As such, lens dislocation becomes a part of the differential in a patient that presents with sudden loss of vision. When the lens is not in place, there is a major loss of refraction, and the eye becomes severely hyperopic, causing difficulty with distance vision. When the lens becomes partially dislocated, this is referred to as lens subluxation. A subluxated lens can also impair vision by causing irregular refractive surfaces when the lens is tilted. The lens can split the visual axis and lead to an optical defect where two or more blurred images are formed, leading to monocular diplopia.




APPROACH/THE FOCUSED EXAM

A thorough medical history can be useful in ascertaining the underlying etiology of the vision loss along with a full ophthalmic exam. As lens dislocations seen in the emergency department (ED) are often caused by trauma, providers should perform complete primary and secondary surveys. During the secondary survey, the identification of any visual disturbance warrants further investigation.

When assessing past medical history, inquire whether the patient wears glasses or contacts and whether they were wearing them at the time of the injury in order to assess for other complicating factors such as corneal abrasions, foreign bodies, or globe rupture. Ask about history of connective tissue disorders, glaucoma, infections of eye, or any medical intervention to the eye preceding the injury. In assessing past surgical history, ask whether the patient has had any prior eye surgeries such as cataract removal, lens insertion, retinal surgery, and/or glaucoma surgery.

Note any facial swelling, ecchymosis, lacerations to the eyelid or surrounding structures. If there is significant eyelid edema, a second person may be required to help hold the eyelids open for a full examination of the eye. Note pupillary responses and extraocular movements, and complete a visual acuity test with a Snellen chart. Perform a fluorescein exam to assess for Seidel sign in globe rupture and presence of corneal abrasions. Intraocular pressures should be obtained provided there is no concern for globe rupture. These assessments may help lead to the cause of vision loss but are inadequate alone to diagnose lens dislocation. All of this is predicated on patient cooperation, because one prospective study was unable to perform visual acuity evaluation in 60% of over 300 ED patients, and is a possible issue in trauma patients presenting with pain.5

If available in the ED and if the patient can cooperate, a slit-lamp examination can aid in the diagnosis of lens dislocation. The patient’s chin should be placed on the chin rest, with the forehead touching the top band and the eyes aligned with the black markings on the side of the stabilization frame. Adjust the width of the beam and angle the slit lamp to 45° to get an adequate view of the anterior chamber. The lens can dislocate within the lens plane, posteriorly into the vitreous cavity, or, less commonly, anteriorly into the anterior segment. When examining a patient with a subluxated lens via slit-lamp biomicroscopy, the observer can usually appreciate a deep anterior chamber and phacodensis (tremulousness of the lens during eye movement), signaling instability of the zonular fibers. A subluxated lens will often, but not inevitably, dislocate.

Phakia/phakic refers to the presence of the natural lens. Pseudophakia/pseudophakic refers to the presence of an artificial lens in place of the natural lens, such as those seen after cataract surgery. The following figures show patients with a normal phakic lens (Figure 39.1A), an intraocular/implant lens (Figure 39.1B), a partially dislocated phakic (Figure 39.1C) and pseudophakic lens (Figure 39.1D).

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Nov 11, 2022 | Posted by in EMERGENCY MEDICINE | Comments Off on Lens Dislocation

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