Effect of anterior capsular polishing on the rate of posterior capsule opacification: a retrospective analytical study

To determine whether anterior capsule polishing during cataract surgery done by phacoemulsification has any effect on the rate of posterior capsule opacification. We conducted a 3 year retrospective analytical study at our hospital. The medical records of patients who underwent cataract extraction by phacoemulsification with foldable square edge hydrophilic PCIOL between April 2007 and March 2010 were reviewed. The study included 1009 eyes of 950 patients who underwent phacoemulsification with foldable square edge hydrophilic IOL in the bag implantation with anterior capsular polishing. The control group included 981 eyes of 957 patients in whom anterior capsular polishing was not done. Patients in the age group of 45-65 years with well dilating pupils were included in the study. They were evaluated at 1 week, 1 month and 1 year post-operatively. Exclusion criteria included glaucoma, shallow anterior chamber, uveitis, high myopia, pseudoexfoliation, diabetes mellitus, traumatic cataracts, posterior polar cataract, subluxated cataracts, previous ocular surgeries, patients allergic to dilating drops, and steroid intake. Intraoperatively, the exclusion criteria were not achieving the total anterior capsule cover on the IOL optic, sulcus fixated IOL, and any intraoperative complications like posterior capsule rupture. After bimanual irrigation/aspiration, all enrolled patients were randomly assigned to receive either 360 degree anterior capsular polishing or No anterior capsular polishing and results were studied. The rate of posterior capsule opacification in the study group and in the control group was not statistically significant. Though it was thought that anterior capsular polishing will lead to reduced rate of PCO formation, our study showed that there was no significant difference in PCO formation between the two groups. However, it was seen that the rate of anterior capsule opacification and capsular phimosis showed a significant reduction in cases in which anterior capsular polishing was done

Bilateral multiple primary iridociliary cysts - a rare case report

Iridociliary cysts are often found in patients as an incidental finding during a routine ophthalmic evaluation and if asymptomatic do not require any treatment per se. However, these are often mistaken as iris melanoma and the patient is managed accordingly causing a great deal of inconvenience to the patient as well as the doctor. A 69 year old male presented to the ophthalmic out-patients department for routine ophthalmic evaluation. On examination, he is best corrected visual acuity was 6/9, N6 in both eyes. Post-mydriasis evaluation showed a Grade II nuclear cataract in both eyes. There was a smooth, pigmented mass with a rounded surface projecting from behind the iris resembling an iris melanoma. On further evaluation, he was found to have multiple ciliary body cysts. Ultrasound biomicroscopy is a valuable technique in diagnosing iridociliary cysts