Abdominal implantation of intraocular lenses resulting in the formation of reactive membranes.

For a better understanding of the cytological principles involved in the formation of reactive membranes on lens implants in the human eye, two kinds of modern implants were placed into the peritoneal space of mice. Continuous membranes mainly composed of macrophages were observed after 5 days. The membrane on a polymethylmethacrylate implant contained numerous large giant cells, while there were no giant cells on a glass implant. Implantation of intraocular lenses into the abdomen of mice is suggested as an excellent testing situation for implants of different composition and shape.