Perifoveal vascular leakage and macular oedema after intracapsular cataract extraction

Perifoveal capillary leakage of fluorescein was demonstrated in 60 per cent of 50 eyes when angiography was performed two weeks after cataract extraction. Repeat angiography six weeks postoperatively in 17 eyes demonstrated persistence of already established leakage in 11 of 12 eyes and no new leakage in five eyes previously negative. Cystoid macular oedema with visual acuity of less than 20/40 six weeks postoperatively occurred in five eyes (10 per cent). Eyes of patients with vascular disease and those patients of 60 years or older were found to have altered vascular permeability significantly more frequently. Inflammation was no more severe or prevalent in those patients who demonstrated leakage and no inflammation was clinically apparent in 10 of 11 eyes demonstrating dye leakage six weeks postoperatively. We conclude that the constitutional factors of age and vascular disease are of prime importance in causing altered vascular permeability in the early postoperative period after cataract extraction; factors causing sustained leakage with reduction of visual acuity were not demonstrated.