[Development of lens opacities in a period of 6 months after pneumatic retinopexy].

When performing a pneumatic retinopexy, air or gas is injected into the vitreous cavity to reattach a primary, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. SF6 gas, for examples, remains in the vitreous cavity for up to 2 weeks before it is completely absorbed. It is conceivable that the injection of SF6 gas into the vitreous cavity interferes with lens metabolism, thus causing opacities of the lens. Even minor early changes in lens transparency can be monitored by Scheimpflug photography. Two months after performing a pneumatic retinopexy, 31 out of 100 consecutive eyes showed a loss of lens transparency, which was not pronounced or statistically significant. Six months after surgery the loss of transparency was more pronounced in all lens layers, increasing from the front to the back. The increment was statistically significant for the anterior lens cortex. Further investigations are needed to determine whether lens changes are the result of the intraocular tamponade with SF6 gas or are related to other factors, such as the surgical maneuver itself.