title: Long-term effect of phacoemulsification on intraocular pressure using phakic fellow eye as control.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the long-term effect of phacoemulsification on intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with ocular hypertension and open-angle glaucoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three multispecialty ophthalmology practices and one glaucoma specialty group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective comparative case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of medical records of patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension who had had unilateral phacoemulsification (without other prior or concurrent ophthalmic procedure) with the fellow eye remaining phakic at least 3 years postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preoperatively, the IOP in the surgical and fellow eyes in the 29 patients was 15.66 mm Hg ± 3.33 (SD) and 15.64 ± 4.23 mm Hg (P=.98), respectively. Postoperatively, it was 13.56 ± 2.04 mm Hg and 14.92 ± 2.85 mm Hg, respectively, at 4.5 months (P=.06); 14.88 ± 3.20 mm Hg and 15.27 ± 3.19 mm Hg, respectively, at 1 year (P=.67); 14.16 ± 2.61 mm Hg and 14.95 ± 2.79 mm Hg, respectively, at 2 years (P=.37); and 14.68 ± 3.44 mm Hg and 14.68 ± 2.68 mm Hg at 3 years (P=1.00), respectively. There was no significant difference in the mean number of IOP-lowering medications used in the surgical eyes (1.96 ± 1.40) and fellow eyes (2.08 ± 1.44) postoperatively (P=.77).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a cohort of ocular hypertensive and glaucoma patients, uncomplicated phacoemulsification had no significant IOP-lowering effect compared with the phakic fellow eye for up to 3 years postoperatively. There was also no difference between the mean number of postoperative IOP-lowering medications used in the surgical and fellow eyes.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. tachenchang@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ta C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Donald L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Budenz
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Won I
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tam
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.forename: Chan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Iwach
authors.forename: Sunita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Radhakrishnan
authors.forename: Kuldev
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents