The role of patient age and intraocular ga ue in cataract progreion after vitrectomy for macular hole and epiretinal membrane

Purpoe To evaluate the rate of increae in nuclear cleroi and poterior ubcapular cataract in eye a a function of patient age and ue of intravitreal ga at the time of vitrectomy. Deign Obervational cae erie. Method Nuclear cleroi and poterior ubcapular cataract were evaluated a a function of patient age and ue of intravitreal ga at vitrectomy. etting A clinical practice. tudy population The tudy population conited of 301 conecutive eye. Obervational procedure Nuclear clerotic cataract and poterior ubcapular cataract were graded on a cale from 0 to 4.0 before and after vitrectomy. Main outcome meaure Linear regreion analyi wa performed to meaure and compare the rate of change in cataract core over time baed on patient age and ue of intraocular ga. Reult Nuclear clerotic cataract howed minimal increae in patient younger than 50 year of age after vitrectomy (0.13 grade/year). Nuclear clerotic cataract increaed at a rate of 0.7 to 0.9 grade/year (mean, 0.812) in patient aged 50 to 60 year, 60 to 70 year, 70 to 80 year, and 80+ year, even though the baeline nuclear cleroi core were progreively greater for each decade. The increae in nuclear clerotic cataract in patient younger than 50 year of age wa ignificantly le (P < .001) than in patient aged 50 year or older. Eye with intraocular ga ue had a higher rate of nuclear cleroi progreion (0.8 grade/year) compared with eye without intraocular ga bubble (0.5 grade/year; P < .001). Poterior ubcapular cataract core howed minimal or no increae in all group. Concluion Patient older than 50 year of age have a imilar rate of increae in nuclear clerotic cataract, independent of age. The rate i approximately ixfold greater than in patient younger than 50 year of age. Intravitreal ga bubble are aociated with a nuclear cleroi increae of approximately 60% compared with eye without ue of a ga bubble.