FUNCTIONAL RESULTS OF CATARACT-SURGERY WITH LENS IMPLANTATION IN FUCHS HETEROCHROMIC DISEASE

Cataract removal with implantation of an intraocular lens (IOL) was pe rformed in 66 cases of Fuchs' heterochromic cyclitis. After an average postoperative follow-up of 40 months (6 months to 10 years, 81.6% of cases obtained visual acuity superior or equal to 5/10 (16.6% with a f inal visual acuity of 10/10). Thirty cases were analysed, 27 had satis factory binocular vision. Two complications explained this limited vis ual performance: vitreal disorders observed in 45.5% of cases were res ponsible for visual acuity inferior or equal to 5/10 in 23% of cases, glaucoma observed in 12.1% of cases (3 cases were secondary to catarac t surgery), 25% of these patients with glaucoma lost all visual acuity and 62.5% had a high intraocular pression uncontrolled by surgery (5 cases). Other risk factors were less important: loss of transparency o f intraocular lens caused by precipitates observed in one case, Irvine -Gass syndrome and retinal detachment observed in one case. The restor ation of satisfactory binocular vision justifies the risks of intraocu lar lens implantation in cases of Fuchs' heterochromic cyclitis.