Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 27, 2026
Ultrasound Cyclo Plasty in Eyes with Glaucoma
Published on: January 26, 2018
Uveal effusion after cataract surgery: an echographic study
K Sabti1, S K Lindley, M Mansour
1Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Purpose:
To determine the incidence of uveal effusion after cataract surgery and to relate its presence to selected preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables.
Design:
Prospective consecutive observational case series.
Participants:
Two hundred seven eyes of 205 subjects undergoing cataract surgery.
Methods:
Several preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables of potential significance in uveal effusion after cataract surgery were studied. On the first postoperative day and within 2 weeks after the surgery, subjects were examined clinically and echographically with B-scan for evidence of suprachoroidal (uveal) effusion. When effusion was present, follow-up examinations were performed until complete resolution was documented.
Main Outcome Measures:
Echographic presence of uveal effusion in the postoperative period.
Results:
Uveal effusion was documented echographically in 12 patients (5.8%). Only one of these cases was clinically evident. All effusions were small and resolved with no intervention. The presence of postoperative hypotony related to wound leak (intraocular pressure <10 mmHg) was significantly correlated with uveal effusion after cataract surgery (P<0.0001). The combination of oral acetazolamide and topical pilocarpine gel given after the surgery also correlated with effusion (P<0.02). Intraoperative complications and prolonged phacoemulsification time were not shown to be risk factors for effusion.
Conclusions:
Uveal effusion is rarely seen after modern, small-incision, closed-system cataract surgery. It is correlated with postoperative hypotony related to wound leak and with the administration of both oral acetazolamide and topical pilocarpine after surgery.
