Primary posterior capsulotomy in adults with posterior capsule opacification

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of primary posterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (PCCC) in adult patients with cataract.

Zagazig University Hospital, Ash-Sharkya, Egypt.

Prospective nonrandomized case series.

This study comprised patients with senile cataract who had phacoemulsification. All patients had a dense posterior capsule opacification (PCO) discovered intraoperatively. Primary PCCC was performed to remove the residual opacification after posterior capsule polishing. All patients were followed for 3 months postoperatively. The outcome measures were corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), macular edema detected by optical coherence tomography, and the occurrence of intraoperative or postoperative complications.

Twenty-five eyes of 25 cataract patients had phacoemulsification. The mean age was 61.9 years ± 7.5 (SD). The mean CDVA preoperatively was 0.14 ± 0.08 and postoperatively it was 0.86 ± 0.15 at 1 week, 0.93 ± 0.08 at 1 month, and 0.94 ± 0.08 at 3 months (P = .001). The mean central macular thickness was 313.16 ± 8.39 μm preoperatively and 315.04 ± 10.6 μm, 319.88 ± 26.06 μm, and 316.4 ± 13.7 μm at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively, respectively (P = .35). Posterior capsule opening contracture occurred in 1 eye (4%), although it did not affect the patient's vision. Intraoperative posterior capsule extension occurred in 1 eye (4%). No serious complications, such as retinal detachment or endophthalmitis, were detected in any patient.

Cataract surgery with primary PCCC was a safe procedure to treat residual PCO in adults and had a low rate of complications.

Neither author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.