Concurrent removal of intravitreal lens fragments after phacoemulsification with pars plana vitrectomy prevents development of retinal detachment

AIM: To evaluate the outcomes of "concurrent vitrectomy" to retrieve dislocated lens fragment during phacoemulsification.METHODS: In a retrospective, observational case series, data of patients who underwent "concurrent" pars plana vitrectomy(PPV) for dislocated lens fragments between the period 2000 and 2008 were reviewed. Data collected included patient demographics, pre-operative visual acuity, intra-operative occurrence of retinal breaks, duration of follow up, post-operative intraocular pressure, final best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA),presence of cystoid macular edema(CME) and occurrence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment(RRD).· RESULTS: A total of 58 eyes of 58 patients were included in the study. At 12 mo the mean postoperative BCVA was log MAR 0.17(20/30) with a range of log MAR0 to 0.69(20/20 to 20/100), with 96.6%(56/58) of patients showing post- operative improvement in visual acuity(P =0.005). None of the patients developed postoperative retinal detachment, endophthalmitis or non-resolving uveitis at 12 mo.CONCLUSION: Our study results suggest concurrent PPV for retained lens fragments after cataract surgery is beneficial and may decrease the risk of glaucoma and prevent development of RRD.