Intercapsular cataract surgery with lens epithelial cell removal. Part III: Long-term follow-up of posterior capsular opacification.

In 144 eyes in 144 patients with senile cataract the rate of posterior capsular opacification requiring YAG capsulotomy up to 36 months following intercapsular cataract surgery with lens epithelial cell removal using ultrasound and aspiration was evaluated and compared to the rate for 471 senile cataractous eyes in patients who had had posterior chamber lens implantation following phacoemulsification and extracapsular cataract extraction without lens epithelial cell removal. Posterior capsular opacification occurred in 3.7% of patients who had lens epithelial cell removal, significantly less (P less than .01) than the 10.8% found in the control group. Lens epithelial cell removal is considered an effective method of preventing capsular opacification.