Purpose To evaluate and compare the 1-year postoperative levels of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) as well as the level of anterior capsule retraction and opacification (ACO) after implantation of two single-piece hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) models.

Methods Randomised, controlled, prospective and double-blind study including 148 eyes of 74 patients (age range, 61–80 years) with bilateral senile cataract. Each patient underwent surgery with implantation of an AcrySof SA60AT (Group A) in one eye and Tecnis ZCB00 (Group B) in the fellow eye by the same experienced surgeon. Lens allocation to the first or second operated eye followed a randomisation process. At 12 months postoperatively, the PCO level was evaluated with the Evaluation of Posterior Capsule Opacification software, whereas the level of ACO and capsule retraction was evaluated and graded subjectively.

Results All surgeries were uneventful. The mean PCO scores were 0.10±0.17 and 0.21±0.89 in Groups A and B, respectively, with no statistically significant differences between the groups (p=0.47). No significant correlation was found between the PCO scores in Groups A and B (r=0.16, p=0.17). Regarding ACO, it was present in 15 eyes (20.3%) and two eyes (2.7%) in Groups A and B, respectively (p=0.37). Capsular phimosis (13 eyes, 17.6%) was only observed in Group A.

Conclusions Both IOLs had a similar low rate of PCO 1 year after surgery. However, there seems to be a difference in the anterior capsule behaviour between both IOL models.