Effect of Phacoemulsification on Intraocular Pressure in Healthy Subjects and Glaucoma Patients

We investigated how cataract surgery might influence long-term intraocular pressure (IOP) change in both healthy subjects and glaucoma patients.

A retrospective analysis of patients who had had clear corneal phacoemulsification with a minimum of 12 months of follow up was performed. Glaucoma patients with medically controlled open-angle glaucoma and healthy subjects with no glaucoma were included in the analysis. The change of IOP after phacoemulsification and factors associated with postoperative IOP change were investigated.

In total, 754 eyes of 754 patients, specifically 106 patients with glaucoma and 648 patients with no glaucoma (i.e., healthy subjects) were enrolled. The phacoemulsification effected a reduction of IOP: 1.03 ± 3.72 mmHg in healthy subjects and 1.08 ± 3.79 mmHg in glaucoma patients at postoperative 1 year (P = 0.656). There were negative coefficients of IOP until 1 year of follow up (all P < 0.001), but the IOP change gradually showed a less steeply decreasing slope (correlation coefficient: -0.993), compared with those for 1 week and 1 month of follow up (correlation coefficients: -1.893 and -1.540, respectively). In the multivariate analysis, age and preoperative IOP showed significant associations with postoperative IOP change (regression coefficients: -0.034 and 0.419 respectively, all P < 0.001).

Phacoemulsification resulted in IOP reduction, which effect regressed in healthy subjects and glaucoma patients over the course of long-term follow up. Therefore, long-term monitoring of IOP change is needed. In cases of higher preoperative IOP and young patients, phacoemulsification alone is a reliable option for IOP control.