Postoperative Refractive Error After Simultaneous Vitrectomy and Cataract Surgery

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of vitrectomy on postoperative refraction after simultaneous vitrectomy and cataract surgery. We compared the spread between predicted and actual refractions in 206 eyes after a simultaneous vitrectomy, phacoemulsification, aspiration and acrylic lens insertion (combined surgery group), and in 67 eyes after cataract surgery only (cataract surgery group) as control. A vitrectomy was performed for diabetic retinopathy in 127 eyes, macular hole in 32 eyes, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in 16 eyes, branch retinal vein occlusion in 15 eyes, and other conditions in 26 eyes. In the combined surgery group, 79 eyes had a gas tamponade after insertion of the intraocular lens. The spread between predicted and actual refractions was - 0.05 +/- 1.18 diopters (average +/- SD) in the combined surgery group and +0.55 +/- 1.32 D in the cataract surgery group. The actual refractive errors in the combined surgery group were found to shift toward myopia when compared with the controls. Among the combined surgery group, 127 eyes without a gas tamponade showed a postoperative refractive error of +0.14 +/- 1.11 D, while 79 eyes with a gas tamponade demonstrated an error of -0.36 +/- 1.22 D. Use of a gas tamponade in the combined surgery group increased the myopic change and was thought to have pressed the intraocular lens forward.