Clinical profile and surgical outcome of patients with pseudo-exfoliation syndrome undergoing cataract surgery - A retrospective study

Abstract

Pseudoexfoliation (PXF) syndrome is an age-related process of unknown etiology characterized by the deposition of distinctive fibrillar material in the anterior segment of the eye. The material is commonly deposited in the anterior chamber, angle of the eye, iris, trabecular meshwork, anterior capsule of the lens, and also the cornea. It is associated with open and narrow angle glaucoma, the formation of cataracts and the corneal endothelial decompensation.PXF deposition in the lens zonules leads to disintegration of the lens zonules resulting in lens subluxation and dislocation. PXF deposition on the iris causes poor pupillary dilatation. Both zonular dehiscence and poor pupillary dilatation pose a great challenge to the cataract surgeon during surgery. Intra operatively, the chances of lens subluxation / dislocation, posterior capsular rupture, vitreous loss is high in the presence of pseudoexfoliation. In the immediate post-operative period, intra ocular pressure spikes, increased and prolonged iritis and corneal decompensation can affect the visual outcome of the surgery. This study will retrospectively analyze the clinical profile of the patients with pseudoexfoliation and to evaluate the occurrence of intra and immediate post-op complications of cataract surgery. In this way, the surgeon can plan his/her surgical technique to help avoid complications during cataract surgery and be prepared to manage the potential intraoperative and postoperative complications that can occur in pseudoexfoliation eyes.