Nd:YAG Capsulotomy after Phacoemulsification in Vitrectomized Eyes: Effects of Pars Plana Vitrectomy on Posterior Capsule Opacification

To compare the progression of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) in patients who required Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy following either combined cataract surgery with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV; C-CV), sequential cataract surgery after PPV (S-CV), or cataract surgery alone (CA). The medical records of 321 patients (408 eyes) who underwent Nd:YAG capsulotomy were retrospectively evaluated. The CA group had a significantly longer time interval from cataract surgery to capsulotomy than that of both the CV group (P = 0.006) and the S-CV (P = 0.013) and C-CV (P = 0.042) subgroups when age-matched comparisons were used. CV patients who implanted a hydrophobic acrylic IOL had shorter time intervals than those of CA patients (P = 0.028). CV patients had larger hazard of earlier capsulotomy than CA patients (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.337; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.100–1.625; P = 0.004). C-CV and S-CV patients both had larger hazard than CA patients in earlier capsulotomy (HR = 1.304; 95% CI = 1.007–1.688; P = 0.044, HR = 1.361; 95% CI = 1.084–1.709; P = 0.008, resp.). PCO progresses more rapidly in patients undergoing combined or sequential cataract surgery and PPV than in patients undergoing CA.