Small incision cataract surgery and placement of posterior chamber intraocular lenses in patients with diabetic retinopathy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Diabetic patients undergoing cataract surgery hav e been demonstrated to have a guarded prognosis, Small incision cataract su rgery has been postulated to cause fewer complications than other technique s of cataract extraction. We Looked at small incision cataract surgery to s ee how diabetics fared. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred fifty-four eyes of diabetic patients were evaluated preoperatively through dilated fundus examination and Snellen vi sual acuity. The eyes then underwent small incision cataract surgery and we re followed, undergoing periodic ophthalmoscopy, Snellen visual acuity meas urement and additional postoperative therapeutic and surgical intervention, RESULTS: Final visual acuity improved by two Snellen lines or more in 61 ou t of 154 (40%) eyes. Final visual acuity worsened in 38 out off 154 (25%) e yes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are similar to those reported for extracapsular su rgery and phacoemulsification, suggesting that the prognosis is guarded for diabetics, even when undergoing small incision cataract Surgery.