Visual Outcomes and Posterior Segment Complications of Vitreous Loss Following Phacoemulsification Surgery

To compare the visual outcomes and complications of phacoemulsification surgery in patients with and without vitreous loss (VL). A historical cohort study was performed on patients attending Labbafinejad Hospital who had underwent phacoemulsification surgery and was complicated by VL from April 2006 to March 2007. A control group was selected randomly from patients with uncomplicated phacoemulsification surgery during the same period. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and posterior segment complications of phacoemulsification surgery were compared between these two groups using SPSS 15. The VL group included 70 cases; among them, BCVA was 20/40 or better in 39 (56%) cases. Seventy nine patients entered the control group; of whom, BCVA was 20/40 or better in 62 (78%) cases (P<0.001). In the VL group, 4 patients developed cystoid macular edema (CME) and 6 patients developed clinically significant macular edema (CSME) while in the control group only 2 patients developed CME (P<0.05). Furthermore, 4 patients developed rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in the VL group while there were no cases of RRD in the control group (P<0.05). Vitreous loss during phacoemulsification surgery reduced postoperative BCVA significantly. The rate of postoperative CME and RRD was also significantly higher with this condition.