Late emptying of anterior chamber and choroidal detachment in cataract operations; role of internal hernias of the vitreous body.

Abstract

I HAVE been interested for some time in the appearance of late emptying of the anterior chamber (with or without choroidal detachment) in certain cases of cataract operations, even when the wound appeared hermetically sealed with three firm corneoscleral sutures. The accepted explanation that the emptying of the anterior chamber is caused by leakage of aqueous humor in some part of the wound appears plausible in certain cases, since in these it coincides with the removal of the stitches. In other cases, however, doubt is thrown on this explanation by the fact that the wound appears entirely sealed, as tested by the use of fluorescein. In these cases it has been thought that the emptying of the anterior chamber is produced by detachment of the choroid. Emptying of the anterior chamber does occur, however, in the absence of detachment of the choroid in cases in which postoperative convalescence up to