Retinal tears after cataract surgery often asymptomatic

Nearly half of retinal tears within 1 year of cataract surgery were asymptomatic and a large rate of tears were not diagnosed until rhegmatogenous retinal detachment was diagnosed, according to a poster presented at the Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium 2022.

This retrospective chart review of 13,007 eyes included 12,928 eyes with no retinal tears and 79 with retinal tears, for an incidence of 0.6%. Most tears were superior and solitary.

Patients more likely to develop retinal tears included those who were younger, with longer axial lengths, high myopia, flatter keratometry, better pre-operative visual acuity, and those who had intraoperative complications. Intraoperative complications were linked with the biggest increase in odds of all the retinal tears.

“Careful counseling is important and post-operative follow-up is advised in these patients given the large rate of asymptomatic [retinal teas] and high risk of progression to retinal detachment,” the authors concluded.

Reference
Fonteh CN, et al. Predictors of Pseudophakic Retinal Tears at a Tertiary Care Academic Medical Center. Poster presented at: Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium 2022.