title: Cataract progression after intravitreal triamcinolone injection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess cataract progression after intravitreal triamcinolone injection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, interventional, case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two phakic eyes of 37 patients were injected one, two, or three times with intravitreal triamcinolone for various indications. Noninjected phakic fellow eyes served as the control. The mean follow-up time for single injection was 12 months, for multiple injections was 14 months, and for control group was 13 months. Lens status, best-corrected visual acuity, and refractive errors were recorded at baseline and at each follow-up examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the last follow-up, changes in posterior subcapsular cataract and refractive error from baseline were significantly different between single triamcinolone-injected eyes and the control group [0.7 +/- 0.2 (mean +/- SEM [arbitrary unit] vs 0.2 +/- 0.1, P = .02; and -0.5 +/- 0.1 diopter vs -0.2 +/- 0.1 diopter, P = .01, respectively). For multiple-injected eyes and control eyes, change from baseline in corticonuclear cataract (1.1 +/- 0.2 vs 0.2 +/- 0.1), posterior subcapsular cataract (1.1 +/- 0.2) and refractive error (-1.8 +/- 0.4 diopters) were significantly different (P < .001, P < .001, and P < .001, respectively). Visual acuity did not change after single injection (P = .83) and in control group (P = .19) but decreased after multiple injections (P = .006). Eleven study eyes and two control group eyes underwent cataract extraction during study period. Corticonuclear and posterior subcapsular cataract progression significantly correlated with follow-up time (P = .003 and P = .02, respectively) and number of injections (P = .01 and P = .04, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Single intravitreal triamcinolone injection induces posterior subcapsular cataract development, whereas multiple injections result in all-layer cataract progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, College of Surgeons and Physicians of Columbia University, Harkness Eye Institute, 635 West 165th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA. oc2106@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cekiç
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akar
authors.forename: Gaetano R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Barile
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Schiff
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014822:Vitreous Body
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide