Phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation in patients with uveitis

Purpose To investigate the safety and efficacy of phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation in eyes affected by uveitis. Methods A retrospective case series is presented including casenote review and update patient examinations. Patient data were withdrawn from the Uveit is Clinic database. All uveitis patients undergoing phacoemulsification wit h intraocular lens implantation from August 1995 to November 2000 were incl uded. A pre-operative preparation protocol was used. Operative and post-ope rative complications, degree of postoperative inflammation, best-corrected and final visual acuity were the main outcome measures. Results Eighty-six eyes of 75 patients underwent surgery, which in 11 cases was combined with trabeculectomy. Mean followup was 24.1 months. Eight eye s (10%) had severe or fibrinous uveitis post-operatively. The mean delay be tween surgery and return to baseline treatment was 8.6 weeks. Posterior cap sule opacification occurred in 42% of eyes and Nd-YAG capsulotomy was requi red in 21%. Cystoid macular oedema was seen in 2 eyes. Seventy-two per cent of eyes retain a visual acuity of 6/9 or better, and 87% of eyes retain a post-operative improvement of 2 or more lines of Snellen acuity. Conclusions With careful patient selection, appropriate pre-operative prepa ration, diligent surgery and close post-operative supervision, phacoemulsif ication with intraocular lens implantation is safe and effective in the gre at majority of eyes with uveitis.