Phacoemulsification with primary implantation of an intraocular lens in patients with uveitis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome of cataract surgery in adult patients with uveitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, medical charts of patients with uveitis and matched control patients without uveitis who underwent cataract surgery at the Eye Clinic, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, between January 2005 and December 2009 were analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 58 eyes with and 283 eyes without uveitis. The most common etiologies were idiopathic anterior uveitis and Fuchs’ heterochromic uveitis. Postoperative visual acuity at 4 weeks was ≥0.5 decimal (0.3 logMAR) in 48 eyes with uveitis (87.3%) compared to 180 non-uveitic eyes (86.1%). Four eyes with uveitis (7.1%) and one eye without uveitis (0.5%) developed postoperative intraocular hypertension/glaucoma. Posterior capsule opacification developed in 11 eyes (19.0%) with and 28 eyes (12.4%) without uveitis. CONCLUSION: With appropriate perioperative anti-inflammatory regimen and surveillance, modern cataract surgery using phacoemulsification and primary intraocular lens implantation can be performed in patients with uveitis without greater risk of complications, yielding similar visual outcome as in patients without uveitis.