Aphakia and Pseudophakia

Because aphakic and pseudophakic eyes have higher risks of retinal detachment (1%–3%) than do phakic eyes, such patients should be warned of potential symptoms and carefully examined if symptoms occur. In a population-based 25-year follow-up study that compared eyes that underwent cataract surgery with eyes that did not, the probability ratio of retinal detachment following cataract surgery was greatest in the first year (an approximately 11-fold difference, compared with approximately 4-fold in years 5 through 20). The cumulative risk of retinal detachment steadily increased to 1.79% at 20 years. Risk factors for the development of retinal detachment following cataract surgery include male sex, younger age, myopia, increased axial length, posterior capsular tear, and absence of a PVD.

• Erie JC, Raecker MA, Baratz KH, Schleck CD, Burke JP, Robertson DM. Risk of retinal detachment after cataract extraction, 1980–2004: a population-based study. Ophthalmology. 2006;113(11):2026–2032.

Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 10 - Glaucoma. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.