Purpose: To analyze the outcomes of phacoemulsification cataract extraction and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in patients with uveitis.
Setting: Miyata Eye Hospital, Miyakonojo, Miyazaki, Japan.
Methods: The records of 95 patients (131 eyes) with uveitis who had phacoemulsification cataract extraction and IOL implantation between 1990 and 2001 were retrospectively examined. The postoperative visual outcomes and complications were analyzed.
Results: The mean age of the 36 men and 59 women was 61.7 years (range 30 to 87 years) At the final follow-up examination, 111 eyes (84.7%) had improved visual acuity and 97 eyes (74.0%) had a final visual acuity of 0.5 or better. Patients with Behçet's disease had significantly worse visual outcomes than patients with other clinical etiologies of uveitis such as human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 uveitis and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. In 17 eyes (13.0%), relapse of intraocular inflammation occurred within 6 months after surgery; the rate of relapse was highest in patients with Behçet's disease (35.2%). Posterior synechias occurred in 8 eyes (6.1%), pupillary capture in 1 eye (0.8%), intraocular pressure elevation in 11 eyes (8.4%), and cystoid macula edema in 8 eyes (6.1%). In 31 eyes (23.7%), posterior capsule opacification required neodymium:YAG capsulotomy.
Conclusions: The outcomes of phacoemulsification cataract extraction and IOL implantation in patients with uveitis were satisfactory. Patients with Behçet's disease related to intraocular inflammation, however, appeared to have a higher risk for complications and therefore worse outcomes than patients with other clinical etiologies of uveitis.