Postoperative inflammation after cataract surgery in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The purpose of the present study was to assess the influence of preoperative activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on early postoperative anterior chamber inflammation after phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. Twenty-three eyes in 18 patients were included in our study. On the first postoperative day, anterior chamber inflammation was observed in 11 eyes (47.8%). Five days after surgery, we found postoperative inflammation only in 1 eye (4.3%). Keratic precipitates were observed in 1 eye (4.3%) on the second postoperative day. We found no correlation between the extent of anterior chamber inflammation and the preoperative activity of RA. Postoperative anterior chamber inflammation was also not associated with the medical management of RA.