We retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of 20 pseudophakic retinal detachment (RD) patients (20 eyes) and 17 aphakic RD patients (17 eyes). Males were predominated in both groups. The time interval between cataract extraction and RD was 31 months on average in the pseudophakic group, 32 months with intact posterior capsule and 27 months with ruptured posterior capsule, and 148 months in the aphakic group. In 50% of cases with ruptured posterior capsule in the pseudophakic group, RD occurred within 1 year. The anatomic success rate was 95% in the pseudophakic group and 88% in the aphakic group. The most common cause of failure was the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Visual acuities more than 20/40 after RD surgery were found in 13 pseudophakic (65%) and 6 aphakic (36%) eyes. Aphakic patients were more inclined to have silent RD than pseudophakic patients because of their poor visual acuity. Post-operative follow-up is required especially for the first 1 year in cases of damaged posterior capsule due to the high incidence of RD during this period.
Adult ; Aphakia, Postcataract/*etiology/surgery ; Comparative Study ; Female ; Humans ; Lens Capsule, Crystalline/injuries ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phacoemulsification/*adverse effects ; Pseudophakia/*etiology/surgery ; Retinal Detachment/*etiology/surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Visual Acuity

A 60-year-old male was referred to the ophthalmologic clinic with aggravated anterior uveitis and corneal edema despite the use of topical and systemic steroids. He had undergone cataract surgery in both eyes 15 years previous. Slit lamp examinations revealed a retained lens fragment in the inferior angle of the anterior chamber, with severe corneal edema and mild anterior uveitis. The corneal edema and uveitis subsided following surgical extraction of the lens fragment. That a retained lens fragment caused symptomatic anterior uveitis with corneal edema 15 years after an uneventful cataract surgery is unique. A retained lens fragment should be considered as one of the causes of anterior uveitis in a pseudophakic patient.
Cataract Extraction/*adverse effects ; Corneal Edema/*etiology/*pathology ; Humans ; Lens, Crystalline/*pathology/surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications/pathology/surgery ; Pseudophakia/pathology ; Reoperation ; Severity of Illness Index ; Uveitis, Anterior/*etiology/*pathology