OBJECTIVE To evaluate a technique for removing fibrotic tissue of a shrunken opening of the anterior capsule. METHODS Augenklinik der Städtischen Kliniken, Frankfurt, Germany. METHODS Intraocular diathermy was used to enlarge the anterior capsule in nine patients with intraocular lenses (IOLs) (eight poly[methyl methacrylate], one silicone). In five patients, the diathermy was done to improve the intraoperative fundus view just before vitreoretinal surgery. The other four patients had visual field impairment or IOL dislocation resulting from capsular opening contraction. A 1.1 mm paracentesis was made and a viscoelastic injected beneath the anterior capsule. The diathermy probe was then introduced into the anterior chamber and the capsule opening cut to the desired size. The excised material was removed with a forceps. RESULTS The procedure was free of complications. No eye developed a postoperative inflammatory reaction. CONCLUSIONS Diathermy was easy to perform and according to these preliminary results, highly effective.