Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering
Department
Bioengineering
First Advisor
Liping Tang
Abstract
Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO) remains the most prevalent long-term complication following cataract surgery, caused primarily by the migration, proliferation and differentiation of residual lens epithelial cells (LECs) at the interface between an intraocular lens (IOL) and the posterior lens capsule (PLC). While the “No space, no cell, no PCO” hypothesis suggests that minimizing physical space between the IOL and PLC can inhibit LEC responses, the understanding of IOL-PLC physical interactions and its predictive potential for PCO outcomes remains limited. This dissertation investigates the role of IOL-PLC physical interactions in modulating LECs and PCO development through the development of a physiologically relevant in vitro model system. Three interrelated studies are presented.
The first study (Chapter 2) establishes a 3D simulated PLC (sPLC) model to replicate human PLC curvature, enabling the simulation of adult human IOL-PLC interface, quantification of adhesion forces and IOL-sPLC contact across three commercial IOLs with known clinical PCO incidences. The findings support the “no space, no cells, no PCO” hypothesis by demonstrating that higher IOL-sPLC adhesion corresponds to reduced cellular infiltration, proliferation, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, correlating with lower clinical PCO rates.
The second study (Chapter 3) explores the role of IOL-PLC interactions in the disproportionately high incidence of PCO in pediatric cataract patients. By fabricating sPLCs mimicking age-specific PLC geometries, this work reveals that standard adult-sized IOLs provide insufficient contact within pediatric sPLCs. Furthermore, both young and adult LECs exhibited enhanced responses at the pediatric IOL-sPLC interface, demonstrating the importance of IOL-PLC size compatibility in PCO.
The third study (Chapter 4) explores the role of serum proteins and/or cells in hydrophilic IOL’s high PCO rates. The results indicate that serum proteins, but not cells, facilitate the detachment of hydrophilic IOLs from PLC and produce large IOL-PLC interface space due to their protein-repellent properties. The large interface space between hydrophilic IOLs and PLC likely contributes to strong LEC activity and high PCO incidence rate. Our results suggest that IOL-plasma protein interaction may serve as a key driver of PCO in these lenses.
Together, these studies establish a robust and reproducible model for predicting PCO potential. The findings elucidate the role of IOL-PLC interactions, offer mechanistic insights into PCO formation, and provide foundational knowledge for developing and testing next-generation IOLs.
Keywords
Intraocular Lens, Posterior Capsule Opacification, Cataract, In vitro model, Lens epithelial cells, Posterior lens capsule, No space no cell no pco
Disciplines
Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering | Medicine and Health Sciences
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Izuagbe, Samira, "A 3D In Vitro Posterior Lens Capsule Model for Assessing Posterior Capsule Opacification Potential" (2025). Bioengineering Dissertations. 197.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/bioengineering_dissertations/197