Cataract extraction in Fuchs syndrome.

The surgical and postoperative complications of cataract extraction in 29 patients with Fuchs syndrome (heterochromic cyclitis) are reviewed. Visual acuity of 20/40 or better was achieved by 25 of the 28 patients for whom complete follow-up information had been recorded. No vitreous hemorrhages were noted, and there was only one case of transient postoperative hyphemia. In eight cases, vitreous opacities persisted after surgery and accounted for minimal impairment of visual acuity. Only one severe complication was encountered: one patient lost vitreous at the time of surgery, and the final result was glaucoma, retinal detachment, and a sightless eye. Cataract surgery in patients with Fuchs syndrome appears to be only slightly more complicated than routine surgery for senile cataracts. Elective removal of cataractous lenses in patients with this disease should not be delayed because of fear of a poor prognosis.