Cataract surgery as a risk factor for retinal detachment in very highly myopic eyes.

Abstract

To evaluate the incidence of retinal detachment (RD) after cataract surgery performed by phacoemulsification in very highly myopic eyes. Retrospective, paired-eye, case-control trial. We assessed the development of RD in 930 eyes from 930 subjects (mean age = 62.5 +/- 8.5 years) affected by very high myopia (between -15 and -30 diopters) undergoing cataract surgery after uncomplicated phacoemulsification (cataract-subjected [CS] eyes). Fellow eyes served as controls. Follow-up was 36 months. Detachment of the retina. Retinal detachment was observed in 8.0% of CS eyes compared with 1.2% of control eyes (P<0.01, chi-square test). In CS eyes, posterior RD was most common (52.7% of eyes with RD). In control eyes, peripheral detachments with or without macular involvement were most common (47.3% of eyes with RD). Cataract surgery, despite the use of a safe technique such as phacoemulsification, increases the risk of RD development in very highly myopic eyes.