Incidence of posterior vitreous detachment after cataract surgery

Purpose

To report the incidence of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) after uneventful state-of-the-art small-incision phacoemulsification with implantation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC IOL).

Setting

Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwigshafen Hospital, Ludwigshafen, Germany.

Methods

This prospective study evaluated the vitreous status of eyes by biomicroscopic examination, indirect binocular ophthalmoscopy, and B-scan ultrasonography before planned cataract surgery. Patients with the posterior vitreous attached were included for follow-up and examined 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year after uneventful phacoemulsification with PC IOL implantation. The preoperative prevalence and postoperative incidence of PVD were determined by ultrasonography.

Results

The study included 188 eyes of 188 patients (131 women, 57 men) with a mean age of 77.2 years. The mean spherical equivalent was −0.78 diopter (D) (range −8.75 to +6.25 D) and the mean axial length (AL), 23.22 mm (range 20.50 to 26.04 mm). Preoperatively, 130 eyes (69.1%) had PVD and 58 eyes (30.9%) had no PVD. Postoperatively, 12 eyes (20.7%) developed PVD at 1 week, 18 eyes (31%) at 1 month, and 4 eyes (6.9%) at 1 year. The vitreous body remained attached to the retina in 24 eyes (41.4%) 1 year after surgery. No preoperatively measured parameter (eg, age, refraction, AL, effective phacoemulsification time) was predictive of the occurrence of PVD after cataract surgery.

Conclusion

The occurrence of PVD after modern cataract surgery was frequent in cases in which the posterior hyaloid was attached to the retinal surface preoperatively.