Effects of posterior capsular disruption on the outcome of phacoemulsification surgery.

The occurrence of a capsular rupture during phacoemulsification is not an uncommon entity, with a reported incidence of up to 5-5% when cases are performed by inexperienced residents,l as opposed to 0 9% when performed by an experienced phacosurgeon.2 Other predisposing factors to capsular rupture include: pseudoexfoliation,3 poorly dilating pupils,4 posterior polar cataract,5 and can opener or linear capsulectomy techniques.6 The management of a posterior capsule rupture is probably the greatest challenge facing the cataract surgeon. The removal of lens matter subsequent to capsular disruption, the need for anterior vitrectomy, and the optimum location for the intraocular lens (IOL), are all problems facing the surgeon intraoperatively, and the solutions will of course be somewhat dependent on the surgeon's experience. Postoperatively, it is important to analyse the complications ofthe surgeon's management ofthe capsular disruption. The visual outcome of these cases must also be determined. Finally, our study examined the prevalence ofbilateral capsular disruption. This was calculated by considering patients in this series who had a complicated outcome in two eyes.