Combined cataract extraction and guarded sclerectomy. Reevaluation in the extracapsular era

Thirty-four eyes of 25 patients underwent a guarded sclerectomy in combination with either an intracapsular or extracapsular cataract extraction. The intraocular pressure was well-controlled in the early postoperative period in all but one case, and only one eye developed a flat anterior chamber that required surgical reformation. However, there was a high incidence of intraoperative and postoperative complications in both the intracapsular and extracapsular groups. These observations, as well as experience with extracapsular cataract extraction and posterior chamber lens implantation alone in glaucomatous eyes, have led to a reevaluation of the criteria for combined cataract and glaucoma surgery.