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Surgical technique key to posterior polar cataract extraction

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FUKUOKA, Japan — Posterior polar cataracts can be safely extracted if the appropriate surgical technique is selected, according to a study.

Ken Hayashi, MD, and others here at Hayashi Eye Hospital reviewed the records of 28 eyes of 20 consecutive patients with posterior polar cataract who underwent cataract surgery. Twenty-five of the 28 eyes with a small to medium posterior polar opacity underwent standard phacoemulsification or aspiration surgery. Two eyes that had a large opacity and a soft nucleus underwent pars plana lensectomy. One eye, which had a large opacity and a hard nucleus, underwent intracapsular cataract extraction.

Mean visual acuity (VA) improved significantly after surgery; however, the postoperative VA remained worse than 20/20 in seven eyes. Low VA was caused by amblyopia in four eyes, impaired foveal function after retinal detachment in two eyes and macular degeneration in one eye.

The study is published in the January issue of Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.