Lens Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition and Long-Term Chronic Inflammation After Cataract Surgery.

PURPOSE: To report the potential effect of lens epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) following lens capsular reopening in three patients with long term chronic intraocular inflammation and mildly elevated intraocular pressure.

METHODS

Observational study.

RESULTS

Although the three patients had different histories of eye surgery and had experienced a long process of diagnosis and treatment, they had the following similarities: 1) They had undergone cataract surgery; 2) All of them had capsular bag opening or reopening and unexplained intraocular inflammation and elevated intraocular pressure for a long time, even up to more than one year; 3) The inflammation was eventually disappeared following complete clearance of the EMT derived material.

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlight the critical role of EMT derived material and capsular bag reopening in long-term post cataract surgery inflammation and pseudophakic ocular hypertension, and complete clearance of EMT derived material with surgical intervention should be considered if necessary.