VITREOUS OPACITIES IN PHACOLYTIC GLAUCOMA

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To report five cases of vitreous opacificati on in phacolytic glaucoma (PG). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of p atients with PG were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 135 eyes wit h PG were studied to determine the presence of vitreous opacification. RESULTS: Five eyes with PG demonstrated opacification of the vitreous , which was first noted at surgery and confirmed postoperatively. All patients had had symptoms of PG for 7 days or more (mean +/- SD, 10.6 +/- 2.4 days) before they sought medical attention. Three eyes had a h ypopyon on preoperative examination; two of these eyes showed refracti le crystals in the anterior chamber. The opacities resolved spontaneou sly in all five eyes over a period of 12 weeks and interfered with vis ual acuity only in the immediate postoperative period. CONCLUSION: Vit reous opacification in PG is a self-limited process that may not requi re surgical intervention unless more rapid visual rehabilitation is de sired. The vitreous opacification probably results from an exaggeratio n of the process causing the anterior chamber reaction.