Cataract and pseudoexfoliation. A clinicopathological study.

100 lenses from 98 consecutive patients with senile cataract were investigated histologically for pseudoexfoliation. The patients came from an area known for its high incidence of pseudoexfoliation. The examiner was not aware of the clinical examination at the time of histopathological study. Pseudoexfoliation was observed in 33 lenses. There seemed to be an increasing incidence of pseudoexfoliation with increasing age of the patients. Only 16 of the cases of pseudoexfoliation had been recorded preoperatively, but routine pupillary dilatation had not been carried out. The use of alpha-chymotrypsin at cataract extraction did not preclude histological diagnosis of pseudoexfoliation.