Lens Opacity Following High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment has recently emerged as an alternative treatment for glaucoma1 and has also been used in response to the increasing demand for noninvasive procedures for skin lifting and tightening by direct application of an ultrasonographic probe to the skin.2,3 In the periorbital region, the HIFU probe is put onto the skin, and shots are applied (with energy between 0.2 and 2.0 J and 4 to 7 MHz), with a safe distance of at least 2 mm from the orbital margins according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Treatments involving HIFU were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2009 for use in browlifting, and it is currently being used for facial rejuvenation, lifting, tightening, and body contouring, which are considered off-label uses.2 It is well known that traumatic cataract can occur after 11% of closed globe injuries and are attributable to the application of mechanical, irradiative, electrical, or chemical insults.4