Factors modifying vitreous pressure in cataract surgery.

A prospective study of 267 intracapsular cataract extractions was conducted to assesses what makes an eye soft and capable of safely receiving an intraocular lens implant. The study showed that the use of glycerol, given orally before the operation, plus retrobulbar anesthesia is the most effective way of reducing the vitreous pressure, that there is a direct relation between this reduction and age, and that there is no apparent correlation between the preoperative intraocular pressure and the vitreous pressure.