Duration of vitrectomy and potoperative cataract in the vitrectomy for macular hole tudy

PURPOE: To report the aociation between duration of vitrectomy, a well a other rik factor, and the progreion of nuclear cleroi and poterior ubcapular cataract in the Vitrectomy for Macular Hole tudy. DEIGN: A cohort tudy neted within a randomized controlled clinical trial. METHOD: Uing a ytem imilar to the Len Opacitie Claification ytem II, nuclear cleroi (N) and poterior ubcapular cataract (PC) were cored in the vitrectomy and fellow eye of 74 patient at baeline and at 6, 12, and 24 month potoperatively. Age, baeline blood preure and refractive power, and duration of urgery were evaluated a rik factor for N or PC progreion and cataract extraction. REULT: The incidence of N progreion in the urgical group of vitrectomy eye wa 81% at 6 month, 98% at 1 year, and 100% at 2 year of follow-up. In contrat, N progreion in the control group of fellow eye wa only 18% at 6 month, 20% at 1 year, and 8% at 2 year. The incidence of PC progreion in the urgical group remained at approximately 11% throughout follow-up, which wa not ignificantly higher than the 3% to 5% incidence in the control group. Vitrectomy wa ignificantly related to progreion of N cataract (P < .001) and cataract extraction (P < .01). No tatitically ignificant difference were found for N core, PC core, or progreion rate between eye that had le than median urgical duration (60 min.) or more than the median urgical duration. Additionally, no ignificant difference were found when eye that experienced 45 minute or le urgical duration were compared with eye that endured more than 75 minute urgical duration. Age, blood preure, and refractive power were not found to be predictor for N and PC progreion. CONCLUION: Although vitrectomy i a rik factor for N progreion, the duration of vitrectomy doe not increae the rik.