Johns K J, Sheils P, Parrish C M, Elliott J H, O'Day D M
Department of Ophthalmology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232.
Am J Ophthalmol. 1989 Nov 15;108(5):535-9. doi: 10.1016/0002-9394(89)90430-3.
In a series of 11 pseudophakic patients (11 eyes) who sustained wound dehiscence as a result of blunt trauma, five intraocular lenses were dislocated, one was fractured, and two were expulsed. Wound rupture occurred from three days to one year after surgery; the most common cause of injury was a fall. Iris prolapse was observed in all patients, with hyphema observed in seven. Vitreous prolapse occurred in four patients, and three patients developed retinal detachment. Six of the 11 patients had a visual acuity of 20/40 or better after repair. The limbal wound of a pseudophakic eye can dehisce as a consequence of blunt trauma long after surgery, and the position of the intraocular lens can be disrupted. Patients undergoing cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation should be advised about the importance of long-term protective eyewear.