INCIDENCE OF POSTERIOR CAPSULAR OPACIFICATION AFTER UNEVENTFUL CATARACT SURGERY IN PATIENTS ON HEMODIALYSIS

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of posterior capsular opacification after cataract surgery in patients on hemodialysis. Patients and Methods: Fifty patients on hemodialysis undergoing cataract surgery and 50 patients undergoing cataract surgery in a similar age group without any systemic disease were compared retrospectively. All patients underwent uneventful phacoemulsification surgery. Hydrophilic monoblock, sharp-edged acrylic intraocular lens (Spectrafold™, Gujarat, India) was used. A complete ophthalmological examination was performed on the patients who were evaluated at the postoperative 12th month follow-up examination. Posterior capsular opacification was evaluated by the retroillumination method. According to the reflection from retroillumination, cases with posterior capsular opacification were divided into three groups as mild, moderate and severe. Results: Age groups and male to female ratios were similar. Mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.23 in the hemodialysis group and 0.22 in the control group, preoperatively. At the end of the first year, the mean BCVA was 0.88 in the hemodialysis group and 0.94 in the control group. In the hemodialysis group, the percentage of posterior capsular opacification was 60% and was 14% in the control group; this difference was statistically significant (p <0.05). While the capsular opacity was mild in all 7 patients in the control group, itwas mild in 19 patients, moderate in 8 and severe in 3 patients in the hemodialysis group. Conclusion: The incidence of posterior capsular opacification after uneventful cataract surgery is found to be higher in patients on hemodialysis than in the normal population.