Cataract surgery in patients with uveitis

Abstract

Although cataract surgery for senile cataract is routine and easily performed, the decision to remove the cataract in a patient with a history of uveitis is considerably more complex and usually involves multiple considerations, related not only to the cause of the uveitis but also to the appropriate surgical procedures. The problems confronting the ophthalmologist caring for the patient with uveitis begin with the first visit. Establishing a diagnosis and controlling the inflammation are the critical elements in the treatment of the patient; these two factors will determine the incidence of cataract formation and other complications, the appropriate time for cataract removal, and the surgical strategy, as well as determine the visual outcome long before surgery occurs. Diagnosis, control of inflammation, preoperative management, particularities of the surgical techniques, and postoperative complications in patients with a history of uveitis have been reviewed previously in this section. Our aims in this article are to review the literature on this subject over the past year and to reemphasize the idea of a model of zero tolerance for inflammation to minimize the incidence of cataract and irreversible damage of ocular structures essential to good vision.