Ocular hypertension after cataract surgery: a comparison of three surgical techniques and two viscoelastics.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the incidence and course of ocular hypertension after cataract surgery using two different viscoelastics and three different surgical techniques.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty-six patients who had undergone extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE), 22 who had undergone phacoemulsification (PHACO), and 16 who had undergone manual nucleofragmentation (MNF) were randomized to receive either a low-viscosity viscoelastic (LVV) or a high-viscosity viscoelastic (HVV) intraoperatively. Post-operative evaluation included anamnesis, intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, and slit-lamp examination at 3, 6, 24, and 72 hours and 7 days.

RESULTS

The incidence of increased IOP over baseline after cataract surgery was 74.3%. The study of both viscoelastics revealed a trend for higher IOP during the first 24 hours for patients who received HVV (P < .05). Greater differences were observed when comparing surgical techniques. Small-incision techniques showed higher mean postoperative IOPs, and more severe hypertensions (PHACO 5/22 [22.7%] and MNF 2/16 [12.5%] vs ECCE 3/36 [8.3%]) (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Ocular hypertension is a frequent postoperative complication. It is slightly more common when using HVV. Small-incision techniques show higher mean postoperative IOPs and more severe hypertensions.