title: Impact of allergy and atopy on the risk of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the risk of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME) following cataract surgery in patients with allergies and/or atopic disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of 3,850 consecutive eyes that underwent cataract surgery were retrospectively reviewed for prevalence of allergies and atopic status and development of PCME. Patients with any known risk factors for PCME were excluded. Macular examination was performed using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) before and at 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 36 weeks after surgery. If both eyes in one patient underwent cataract surgery, one eye was randomly selected. Odds ratios and confidence intervals were estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 240 patients enrolled in this series, 65 patients (27.1 %) showed positive allergic status, 19 patients (7.9 %) suffered from atopic syndromes, and 11 (4.6 %) showed both (allergies and atopic diseases). PCME occurred in eight patients (12.3 %) of the allergy cohort, whereas no patient (0 %) of the atopy cohort developed PCME. The risk of PCME was comparable in patients with allergies or atopic diseases to patients without allergies or atopy (allergy: p = 0.635; odds ratio (OR) 1.303, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.461-3.398; atopy: p = 0.234; OR 0.000, 95 % CI 0-1.815).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Positive status of allergy or atopy does not seem to increase the risk of PCME. Therefore, postoperative treatment after cataract surgery does not have to be modified in allergic or atopic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924, Cologne, Germany. friederike.schaub@uk-koeln.de.
authors.forename: Friederike
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schaub
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Meike C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Enders
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Rafael S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Grajewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cursiefen
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Ludwig M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Heindl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography / Q000379:methods; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000473:pathology*; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015995:Prevalence; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods
keywords: Allergens; Allergy; Atopy; Cataract surgery; Macular edema; Phacoemulsification