Patients who have had prior intravitreal injects may be at a higher risk of postoperative complications after cataract surgery according to study results published from researchers at the University of Toronto.
Researchers evaluated data from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan for 170,428 patients 20 years of age and older who were diagnosed with retinal disease and then had undergone cataract surgery between the years of 2009 to 2018. The researchers classified patients who had bilateral intravitreal injections within 20 days prior to cataract surgery as the exposed group. Patients who had retinal disease but who had not received intravitreal injections 20 days prior to surgery were deemed the unexposed group.
Patients who had cataract surgery were followed for three months to document complications which included vitreous hemorrhages that did not clear, retained lens fragments, retinal detachment, and retinal tear. These patients were also followed for 2 years to document any corneal transplantation, intraocular lens repositioning or exchange as well as any surgery for glaucoma.
What researchers found was a link between patients who had received intravitreal injections prior to cataract surgery and an increased risk of developing non-clearing vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, reetinal tear and glaucoma surgery.
With these findings, researchers recommend that doctors discuss the potential risks with their cataract patients.
