Pseudophakic retinal detachment after phacoemulsification cataract surgery: Ten-year retrospective review.

Purpose: To determine the risk for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) after phacoemulsification.
Setting: Private and public facility, Auckland, New Zealand.
Methods: A retrospective study of 1793 consecutive patients having cataract surgery by phacoemulsification was performed. Patients younger than 40 years were excluded, as were patients who had cataract surgery after ocular trauma. Patients having cataract surgery combined with other ocular procedures such as keratoplasty, glaucoma drainage surgery, or posterior segment surgery were similarly excluded.
Results: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment occurred in 1.17% of the patients having cataract surgery. The risk was greater in patients younger than 50 years (5.17%) and less in those older than 70 years (0.64%). The median interval between cataract surgery and development of the retinal detachment was 39 months. The rate of retinal detachment was greater with complicated cataract surgery, but there was no increased risk for those eyes requiring neodymium:YAG laser capsulotomy.
Conclusions: The overall risk for RRD after cataract surgery by phacoemulsification was small. However, in the younger patient, the risk for pseudophakic detachment was higher. In light of this finding, the requirement for cataract surgery in this group should be reassessed.