Risk Factors for Onset or Progression of Posterior Vitreous Detachment at the Vitreomacular Interface after Cataract Surgery

Abstract

To study the incidence and risk factors for onset or progression of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) at the vitreomacular interface (VMI) after cataract surgery. Retrospective case series. Patients with a history of phacoemulsification from April 2018 through April 2019 at the Keye Eye Center, Seoul, Korea, and postoperative monitoring for more than 2 months. Cox proportional hazard ratios for the onset or development of PVD after cataract surgery in the presence of selected risk factors and demographic data were calculated. To evaluate the ocular risk factors, various ocular metrics, including spherical equivalent (SE), axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, central subfield thickness, PVD status at macula and optic nerve head (ONH), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and ONH parameters from OCT scans, were used for the analysis. Onset or development of PVD at the VMI. Among 988 eyes without PVD at baseline, 174 eyes (17.6%) showed changes in the VMI. Univariate analysis showed that age, SE, AL, PVD status at macula and ONH, and average and vertical cup-to-disc ratios (CDRs) were associated significantly with PVD onset or development (P= 0.046, P= 0.004, P= 0.040, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P= 0.008, and P= 0.042, respectively). In a multivariate analysis, PVD status at the macula and ONH and smaller CDR were associated with PVD onset or progression after cataract surgery after adjustment for age, SE, and AL (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P= 0.005, respectively). The risk of PVD onset or progression was dependent on PVD status and the CDR detected on OCT scans, not on age or AL, in a large patient cohort. Patients who show risk factors on OCT should be monitored carefully during the postoperative period.