[Cataract surgery by phacoemulsification in Werner's syndrome]

We report two cases of Werner's syndrome, a sister and a brother of 32 and 28 years, respectively, who were operated on for cataracts in both eyes. This hereditary syndrome, also called the adult progeria, is characterized by several manifestations of premature aging. Cataract surgery in this syndrome often predisposes to complications such as wound dehiscence and bullous keratopathy. The 4 eyes of the two patients were operated on using the phacoemulsification technique. The operations were successful, and we did not observe any serious complications during the 2-year follow-up period: cystoid macular edema in the brother's right eye was easily cured by topical indomethacin. This experience with these two patients showed that Werner's syndrome cataracts can be safely managed with the current phacoemulsification and small-incision surgery techniques.