3041: IOL haptic is stuck in the injector tip
Encountering an intraocular lens where the trailing haptic becomes pinched and trapped inside the nozzle of the delivery cartridge can halt an otherwise smooth delivery, but it can be resolved safely with controlled manipulation. When faced with this malfunction, there are two primary options to free the stuck tissue without causing structural damage to the lens or tearing the main incision: carefully cutting off the distal plastic tip of the injector with surgical scissors, taking extreme care not to damage the haptic, or using forceps to gently ease and release the trapped haptic from the cartridge. Both techniques work well to free the trapped lens haptic, allowing you to complete placement into the capsular bag without having to risk haptic damage. Watch the video to see how this intraoperative delivery hurdle is successfully managed and the haptic liberated. Which of these two bailout maneuvers do you prefer when an IOL haptic becomes wedged inside the injector cartridge? Please comment your thoughts below.
