Failure of a discontinuous bend to prevent lens epithelial cell migration in vitro

Purpose: To assess the effect of a discontinuous bend on lens epithelial cell (LEC) growth in vitro. Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, St. Thomas' Hospital, London, United Kingdom. Methods: Culture wells with central depths of 0.4 mm, 1.0 mm, or 3.0 mm and a sharp square-edged profile (discontinuous bend) or a round-edged profile (continuous bend) were produced from a block of poly(methyl methacrylate). Freshly harvested bovine LECs were attached to the center of each well and cultured using standard techniques. Observations were made of whether LECs grew out of the wells and of the time required to do so. Results: Lens epithelial cells migrated out of all the wells. There was no significant difference in the rate at which they migrated out of round-edged and square-edged wells. Conclusions: In vitro, a sharp discontinuous bend did not appear to induce contact inhibition of migrating LECs nor did it significantly hinder the rate at which LECs migrated. Therefore, a discontinuous bend in the lens capsule in isolation is unlikely to be responsible for the observed reduction in posterior capsule opacification associated with the use of square-edged IOLs.