Exfoliation syndrome in patients scheduled for cataract surgery.

A series of 305 consecutive patients 30 years of age or older scheduled for cataract surgery was examined to find out the frequency of exfoliation syndrome, the predominant type of cataract, and the intraocular pressure status. The mean age of 222 (72.8%) females and 83 (27.2%) males was 71.7 (+/- 11.1) years (range 32 to 91 years). Exfoliation was detected in 77 (25.2%) patients. It was unilateral in 37 (48.0%) patients, the affected eye being in 29 (78.4%) cases scheduled for cataract surgery, and bilateral in 40 (52.0%) patients. Exfoliation was increased steadily with age. It was most often seen on the anterior lens capsule (88.9%). Krukenberg's spindle was seen in 31 (20.4%) eyes of patients with and in 12 (2.6%) eyes of patients without exfoliation (p less than 0.001). Nuclear sclerosis predominated in eyes with (83.8%) as compared to those without (61.9%) exfoliation (p less than 0.01). Posterior subcapsular cataract was less common in eyes with exfoliation (1.5%) than in eyes (21.1%) without it (p less than 0.001). A tendency to slightly higher preoperative intraocular pressure was measured in eyes with exfoliation as compared to those without it, and glaucoma occurred much more frequently (33.8% vs 10.8%) in the former group (p less than 0.001). Exfoliation and capsular glaucoma, which must be promptly detected to avoid surgical complications, are frequent in patients scheduled for cataract surgery.