Visually significant cystoid macular edema in pseudophakic and aphakic patients with glaucoma receiving latanoprost

Purpose: To investigate the incidence of visually significant cystoid macul ar edema associated with the use of latanoprost in patients with glaucoma a fter cataract surgery. Patients and Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective Study of 185 pat ients, of whom 173 were pseudophakic (212 eyes) and 12 were aphakic (13 eye s), who were treated for glaucoma with latanoprost 0.005%. The posterior le ns capsule was intact in 125 eyes, open or absent as a result of surgery in 25 eyes, and status-post-yttrium-aluminum-garnet capsulotomy in 75 eyes. V isual acuity was documented before and after initiating latanoprost therapy , and patients with a reduction of two or more lines on the Snellen chart w ere examined by fluorescein angiography for cystoid macular edema. Results: Visual reduction was documented in four (2.16%) patients. Three of the four patients had cystoid macular edema, and the fourth was thought to have lost a central island of vision from glaucoma. The three patients wit h cystoid macular edema all had ruptured posterior capsules, requiring ante rior vitrectomy, and one had a previous episode of cystoid macular edema 3 years before starting latanoprost therapy. Conclusion: These findings suggest that visually significant cystoid macula r edema associated with latanoprost therapy in pseudophakic or aphakic pati ents is uncommon. If there is a cause-and-effect relationship between latan oprost therapy and clinically significant cystoid macular edema, the incide nce appears to be low.