Cataract surgery combined with micro-incision vitrectomy in patients with behcet’s disease uveitis

BACKGROUND: This study sought to report the outcomes of a combined cataract extraction, intraocular lens (IOL) insertion and micro-incision vitrectomy (MIVS) procedure for the treatment of Behcet uveitis. METHODS: This investigation involved the retrospective evaluation of a case series of patients with Behcet uveitis who underwent cataract extraction, IOL insertion and MIVS in a single surgical session at the same institution between January 2013 and November 2016. Outcome measures included visual acuity, inflammatory reaction, systemic anti-inflammatory medications, intraocular pressure (IOP) and complications. RESULTS: Seven eyes of seven patients with a mean age of 39.00 ± 5.54 years (range, 32 to 48 years) and a mean follow-up duration of 13.57 ± 5.83 months (range, 6 to 24 months) were studied; five patients with a history of well-controlled uveitis were included. All patients underwent cataract extraction and IOL implantation combined with MIVS. All patients received postoperative steroids, which were slowly tapered during the weeks after surgery. There were no significant complications related to the surgery. Overall, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was improved from log MAR (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) 1.67 ± 0.67 preoperatively to log MAR 0.74 ± 0.35 postoperatively; this improvement was statistically significant (p < 0.05). All eyes were deemed quiet at follow-up, and no patients required the escalation of therapy for long-term uveitis control. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective series indicates that a procedure that combines phacoemulsification, IOL implantation and MIVS is a feasible technique for the removal of cataracts and pathologic vitreous in eyes with Behcet uveitis. This approach can restore vision without obvious complications.