Cataract extraction after retinal detachment surgery.

Extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) was done in 31 eyes of 27 patients after previous retinal reattachment surgery with scleral buckling. A posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) was implanted in 21 eyes. No significant modifications in the cataract surgical technique were necessary. Final visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 26 eyes (84%). The complication rate was low. One patient was found to have a retinal detachment (RD) after cataract extraction that probably predated the cataract surgery. No recurrent retinal tears or detachment developed in any patients during an average 24-month follow-up period.