title: Incidence of and risk factors for residual posterior capsule opacification after cataract surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the incidence of and determine the risk factors for residual posterior capsule opacification (PCO).
  
  
  METHODS
  University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study evaluated 194 uneventful cataract surgeries. Immature cataracts were graded for nuclear sclerosis (NS), posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC), and anterior cortical spokes on a 1 to 4 scale. Preoperative Snellen best corrected visual acuity was converted to the logMAR scale. The posterior capsule was examined after polishing and was classified as clear or as having residual opacity. Those with residual capsule opacity were evaluated 6 weeks postoperatively for the presence of visually significant PCO.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of residual capsule opacity was 23% (44 eyes). Seven (54%) of 13 eyes with white mature cataract had residual capsule opacity. In contrast, 37 (20%) of 181 eyes with immature cataract had residual capsule opacity (P = .01). In eyes with immature cataract, the mean preoperative logMAR acuity was +1.14 +/- 0.60 (SD) in the residual capsule opacity group and +0.73 +/- 0.46 in the clear group (P<.001). In eyes with immature cataract, the adjusted odds ratio for each increasing grade of NS was 2.3 and of PSC, 1.8 (P = .002 and P<.001, respectively). Eleven percent (5 eyes) of residual capsule opacities resulted in visually significant PCO 6 weeks postoperatively. All 5 opacities were centrally located at surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results indicate that aggressive polishing of peripheral or adherent residual capsule opacities is not advisable as only 5 eyes with central residual capsule opacities developed visually significant PCO.
authors.affiliation: Division of Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA. vmootha@salud.unm.edu
authors.forename: V Vinod
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Mootha
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tesser
authors.forename: Clifford
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qualls
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002386:Cataract / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000473:pathology*; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity