title: Incidence of ocular misalignment and diplopia after uneventful cataract surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the incidence of ocular misalignment and diplopia after uneventful cataract surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  An outpatient private practice eye institute.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred thirty-eight patients referred to 1 cataract surgeon were prospectively evaluated. Orthoptic evaluations were performed within 1 month before and then 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after cataract surgery. Anesthesia was by retrobulbar injection, and cataract extraction was done by phacoemulsification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cataract surgery was performed in 118 patients. Preoperatively, 16 patients had ocular misalignment; 10 were phoric, 4 were intermittently tropic, and 2 were tropic. Follow-up evaluation was obtained for 101 patients (86%) at 1 day, 91 (77%) at 1 week, and 88 (75%) at 1 month. A change in ocular alignment occurred in 22 of 101 patients (22%) at 1 day, 9 of 91 (10%) at 1 week, and 6 of 88 (7%) at 1 month. Only 1 patient who had a change in alignment at 1 month was symptomatic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A persistent change in ocular alignment after uneventful cataract surgery occurred in 7% of patients. However, symptomatic diplopia was uncommon (1 in 118; 0.85%) in this relatively small series.
authors.affiliation: The Cincinnati Eye Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio 22033-4003, USA.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Golnik
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaye
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Corcoran
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Cionni
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004172:Diplopia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015835:Ocular Motility Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009801:Oculomotor Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011446:Prospective Studies