Phaco successful after pars plana vitrectomy

NEW YORK — Previous pars plana vitrectomy is not a barrier to good outcomes with phacoemulsification, according to a study here.

Richard E. Braunstein, MD, and colleagues at Columbia University did not find significantly higher rates of intraoperative difficulties or postoperative complications in cataract patients with previous vitrectomy compared with their control patients. In fact, retinal comorbidity seemed to be the only factor limiting the benefits of phaco, they said in an article published in Ophthalmology.

In a retrospective outcomes study, the authors compared visual acuity achieved after phaco in patients with previous pars plana vitrectomy and those without previous vitrectomy to determine the frequency and types of complications of phaco and lens implantation in the two groups. They identified 31 eyes that had undergone vitrectomy and then subsequent phaco and compared them with 116 eyes that had not undergone vitrectomy first.

After pars plana vitrectomy, the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) for 12 of 31 study eyes was 20/40 or better, said Dr. Braunstein. “Eleven eyes improved to within a range of between 20/50 and 20/70.”

Study eyes were more likely to have predominantly nuclear sclerotic cataracts than control eyes, Dr. Braunstein said. After cataract extraction, 24 of 31 study eyes and 110 of 116 control eyes had BCVAs of 20/40 or better.

More details on Dr. Braunstein's study can be found in the September 15 issue of Ocular Surgery News.