Retinal detachment following congenital cataract surgery.

It is hoped that the results of surgery for retinal detachment after surgery for congenital cataract, when discission and aspiration or phacoemulsification under the microscope are used, will approach the present reattachment rate that has been achieved with improved examination, instrumentation, and surgical technique in cases of senile retinal detachment. Further studies of the role of retinal pathology as lattice degeneration, vitreous pathology, and the place for prophylactic cryotherapy all must be reevaluated. In summary, the low incidence of retinal detachment following the extraction of congenital cataracts as seen in major retinal referral centers suggests that the risks of detachment are not as high as previously reported, that the cure rate approaches that of senile aphakic detachment; therefore early operative intervention to prevent amblyopia, nystagmus, and strabismus is indicated.