Phaco-vitrectomy effective for presbyopic patients with retinal detachment in study

Combination surgery involving phacoemulsification and vitrectomy can successfully repair retinas in presbyopic patients with retinal detachment, according to a study.

Michael Smith, MRCOphth, and colleagues reviewed the outcomes and complication rates of 93 presbyopic patients treated with the combination surgery for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. They found that that a single surgery produced retinal reattachment in 82 patients (88.2%), which increased to 97.8% of patients after further procedures. Snellen-converted logMAR visual acuity also significantly improved, from an average of 1 preoperatively to 0.3 postoperatively, according to the study.

Retinal reattachment did not occur in two patients (2.2%), who declined further surgery after the primary repair, the study authors said. Also, all cases of re-detachment were caused by proliferative vitreoretinopathy, they noted.

Complications included transient increases in IOP in 29% of cases, fibrinous uveitis in 16.2% and iris/IOL capture in 8.6%. Posterior capsular opacification also occurred in 23 patients (24.7%), according to the study.

All cases of fibrinous uveitis and increased IOP resolved with medical treatment, the authors said.

The study is published in the April/May issue of Retina.