[Pseudoexfoliation syndrome in cataract surgery. Retrospective study of 37 cases]

To analyze the clinical features of pseudoexfoliation syndrome and to determine complications in cataract surgery in eyes with pseudoexfoliation syndrome compared with eyes without this syndrome.

A retrospective, single-center comparative study was conducted on patients who underwent cataract surgery between 2004 and 2006. Demographic parameters (age, sex, ethnicity, medical and ophthalmologic history), clinical features (visual acuity, pupil dilatation, intraocular pressure) before and after surgery, and surgical complications were analyzed and compared to a control group without pseudoexfoliation.

Seventy-four eyes of 71 patients were included in the study. The sex ratio of the pseudoexfoliation group was 1.26 with 19 males (56%) and 15 females (44%). Pseudoexfoliation was unilateral in 21 cases (61%). Open-angle glaucoma was associated in 11 cases (32%) in the pseudoexfoliation group versus two cases in the control group (5.4%). Poor pupil dilatation was observed in eight cases (24%) in the pseudoexfoliation group and in one case (2.7%) in the control group. Phacoemulsification with IOL was the surgical technique in all the cases with only one case (2.7%) of anterior chamber IOL in the pseudoexfoliation group. There was no significant difference in the surgical complications between the pseudoexfoliation and control group (5.4%). The mean preoperative intraocular pressure was 16+/-5 mmHg in the pseudoexfoliation group and 14+/-3 mmHg in the control group. The mean postoperative intraocular pressure at 1 month was 14+/-4 mmHg in the pseudoexfoliation group and 14+/-3 in the control group. The mean preoperative visual acuity was 1.0+/-0.7 LogMar in the pseudoexfoliation group and 0.7+/-0.5 LogMar in the control group. The mean postoperative visual acuity was 0.4+/-0.6 LogMar in the pseudoexfoliation group and 0.2+/-0.1 LogMar in the control group. The mean follow-up was 70 days in the pseudoexfoliation group and 30 days in the control group.

Pseudoexfoliation syndrome is the most common in its unilateral presentation. It is frequently associated with chronic secondary open-angle glaucoma. Poor pupil dilatation is one of the most common problems faced by cataract surgeons. Nevertheless, pseudoexfoliation syndrome did not confer a statistically higher risk for surgical complication in eyes without marked phacodonesis or lens subluxation.