Incidence of posterior vitreous detachment after cataract surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To report the incidence of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) after uneventful state-of-the-art small-incision phacoemulsification with implantation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC IOL).


METHODS
Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwigshafen Hospital, Ludwigshafen, Germany.


METHODS
This prospective study evaluated the vitreous status of eyes by biomicroscopic examination, indirect binocular ophthalmoscopy, and B-scan ultrasonography before planned cataract surgery. Patients with the posterior vitreous attached were included for follow-up and examined 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year after uneventful phacoemulsification with PC IOL implantation. The preoperative prevalence and postoperative incidence of PVD were determined by ultrasonography.


RESULTS
The study included 188 eyes of 188 patients (131 women, 57 men) with a mean age of 77.2 years. The mean spherical equivalent was -0.78 diopter (D) (range -8.75 to +6.25 D) and the mean axial length (AL), 23.22 mm (range 20.50 to 26.04 mm). Preoperatively, 130 eyes (69.1%) had PVD and 58 eyes (30.9%) had no PVD. Postoperatively, 12 eyes (20.7%) developed PVD at 1 week, 18 eyes (31%) at 1 month, and 4 eyes (6.9%) at 1 year. The vitreous body remained attached to the retina in 24 eyes (41.4%) 1 year after surgery. No preoperatively measured parameter (eg, age, refraction, AL, effective phacoemulsification time) was predictive of the occurrence of PVD after cataract surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
The occurrence of PVD after modern cataract surgery was frequent in cases in which the posterior hyaloid was attached to the retinal surface preoperatively.
Mirshahi
Alireza
A
Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwigshafen Hospital (Mirshahi, Hoehn, Hattenbach), Ludwigshafen, and Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany. dr.mirshahi@gmail.com
Höhn
Fabian
F
Lorenz
Katrin
K
Hattenbach
Lars-Olof
LO
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography; D020255:Vitreous Detachment / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology