Same-setting pars plana vitrectomy for management of dislocated lens fragments during phacoemulsification

Abstract

Context Dropped lens fragments in the vitreous cavity after phacoemulsification can cause potentially serious complications. Aim This prospective noncomparative study aimed to evaluate the effect of same-setting pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for posteriorly dislocated lens fragments during phacoemulsification. Patients and methods A prospective study was conducted on all consecutive cases (seven patients) with PPV performed for retained lens fragment from January 2016 to December 2017. Statistical analysis Descriptive statistics were calculated using SPSS software (version 13.5). Values are expressed as mean±SD, and statistical significance was determined using the Student’s t test for paired data. Results The patients underwent PPV, at the same setting, implanting hard polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) on the ciliary sulcus in five cases, three-piece acrylic foldable intraocular lens (IOL) in two cases and iris fixating verisyse behind the pupil in one case. The mean±SD improvement of visual acuity is 0.17±0.18, 0.20±0.16, 0.35±0.26, and 0.40±0.18 at first week, first, third, and sixth month, respectively. Conclusion The same-setting PPV for the dislocated lens fragment is of good visual prognosis and takes the advantage of surgery with a clear cornea and minimally inflamed eye that enable better removal of retained lens fragments with fewer complications.

Keywords

• nucleus loss
• pars plana vitrectomy
• phacoemulsification
• retained lens fragment