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Transient, profound cataract associated with intracameral 5-fluorouracil
1Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. plibre@optonline.net
Purpose:
To report a transient cataract after bleb needling and subconjunctival injection of 5-fluorouracil.
Design:
Observational case report.
Methods:
A 51-year-old man had an encapsulated bleb after filtering surgery. The bleb was needled, and 5 mg of 5-fluorouracil was injected adjacent to the bleb.
Results:
Within 5 minutes, vision fell to finger counting at 1 foot owing to anterior lens capsule opacification. The next day, acuity and lens clarity had returned to their preneedling status. Best-corrected acuity 7 months later was 20/15.
Conclusion:
Entry of 5-fluorouracil into the anterior chamber after bleb needling can cause transient lens opacification. Recently, intracameral 5-fluorouracil was reported as a new treatment for epithelial ingrowth. Given the transient cataract observed in this case, the use of 5-fluorouracil for epithelial ingrowth should be considered with caution for phakic patients.
