[Pseudo-exfoliation syndrome with and without glaucoma as a major risk factor in extracapsular cataract extraction. A...

A prospective study was undertaken to evaluate the risk factors in extracapsular surgery for eyes with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PES) with and without open angle glaucoma. The study included 3095 planned extracapsular cataract extractions performed by 18 surgeons between September 1986 and June 1989. Of the 3095 eyes 153 (4.9%) showed clinical signs of PES. We examined three groups of eyes: nonglaucomatous eyes (2476 eyes), glaucomatous eyes controlled by local antiglaucomatous therapy (342 eyes) and glaucomatous eyes that had undergone antiglaucomatous surgery (277 eyes). For each group, the incidence of capsular breaks and vitreous loss was evaluated for eyes with and without PES. In the group of nonglaucomatous eyes, vitreous loss occurred significantly more frequently (p less than 0.05) in eyes with PES. For the group of glaucomatous eyes, complications were more frequent but not significant in the presence of PES (p greater than 0.15). We conclude that PES is a significant risk factor in extracapsular surgery even in the absence of glaucoma. After introducing special precautionary measures for eyes showing signs of PES, the incidence of complications in extracapsular surgery has decreased considerably in our hospital for these eyes.