Retinal detachment in aphakia.

In a prospective study five hundred consecutive cases of cataract operations were followed during ten years. Nine cases of retinal detachment were observed. In a retrospective study 77 cases with aphakic retinal detachment were studied according to type of cataract operation, interval between this operation and the onset of retinal detachment, refraction, area of detachment and results of treatment. About fifty percent of the cases of retinal detachment are observed during the first year after the cataract operation. At the first examination the detached area is usually larger in aphakic eyes than in phakic eyes. The anatomical and functional cure after detachment operation is probably less in aphakic than phakic eyes.