Incidence of ocular misalignment and diplopia after uneventful cataract surgery

Document Type

Article

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence of ocular misalignment and diplopia after uneventful cataract surgery. SETTING: An outpatient private practice eye institute. METHODS: One hundred thirty-eight patients referred to 1 cataract surgeon were prospectively evaluated. Orthoptic evaluations were performed within 1 month before and then 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after cataract surgery. Anesthesia was by retrobulbar injection, and cataract extraction was done by phacoemulsification. RESULTS: Cataract surgery was performed in 118 patients. Preoperatively, 16 patients had ocular misalignment; 10 were phoric, 4 were intermittently tropic, and 2 were tropic. Follow-up evaluation was obtained for 101 patients (86%) at 1 day, 91 (77%) at 1 week, and 88 (75%) at 1 month. A change in ocular alignment occurred in 22 of 101 patients (22%) at 1 day, 9 of 91 (10%) at 1 week, and 6 of 88 (7%) at 1 month. Only 1 patient who had a change in alignment at 1 month was symptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: A persistent change in ocular alignment after uneventful cataract surgery occurred in 7% of patients. However, symptomatic diplopia was uncommon (1 in 118; 0.85%) in this relatively small series.

Medical Subject Headings

Aged; Diplopia (epidemiology, etiology, physiopathology); Eye Movements; Female; Humans; Incidence; Lens Implantation, Intraocular; Male; Middle Aged; Ocular Motility Disorders (epidemiology, etiology, physiopathology); Oculomotor Muscles (physiopathology); Ohio (epidemiology); Phacoemulsification (adverse effects); Prospective Studies

Publication Date

8-1-2000

Publication Title

Journal of cataract and refractive surgery

ISSN

0886-3350

Volume

26

Issue

8

First Page

1205

Last Page

9

PubMed ID

11008049

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/s0886-3350(00)00330-8

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