Ten-year retrospective review of outcomes following phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation in patients with pre-existing uveitis.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the visual outcome, uveitis control, and complications following cataract surgery for intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in patients with a known diagnosis of uveitis.

DESIGN

The study was a retrospective interventional case series.

PARTICIPANTS

We reviewed 98 patients (137 eyes) with adult uveitis undergoing cataract surgery with foldable acrylic posterior chamber IOL implantation between 2003 and 2013 in 2 uveitis practices.

METHODS

Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and uveitis grade (Standardized Uveitis Nomenclature criteria) were measured at 1 month preoperatively, at postoperative week 1, and at postoperative months 1, 6, and 12. The main outcome measures were mean change in postoperative BCVA, uveitis grade, and complications.

RESULTS

Of the eyes studied, 84% had grade 0-0.5 anterior uveitis at postoperative week 1 and maintained uveitis control (77% grade 0; 19% grade 0.5 anterior uveitis) at 1 year postoperatively. None of the patients had active intermediate or posterior uveitis at any time point. Mean BCVA improved from 0.71 ± 0.38 logMAR preoperatively to 0.37 ± 0.36 at 6 months (p < 0.01) and to 0.30 ± 0.25 at 12 months (p = 0.01) postoperatively. Of the study participants, 30% had preoperative complications related to uveitis, including epiretinal membrane (12%), cystoid macular edema (12%), and glaucoma (5.8%); 46% of patients had small pupils as a result of posterior synechiae. Postoperative vision-limiting complications included posterior capsule opacification (18%), epiretinal membrane (9.0%), and cystoid macular edema (8.8%). Of the eyes studied, 5.8% underwent Nd:YAG capsulotomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Cataract surgery with acrylic posterior-chamber IOL implantation is effective at improving visual acuity in patients with uveitis. Uveitis was well controlled in the majority of our study patients for 12 months after cataract surgery. The most frequent vision-limiting postoperative complication was posterior capsule opacification, which was treatable with Nd:YAG capsulotomy.