Cataract wound neovascularization. An often overlooked cause of vitreous hemorrhage.

The cause of vitreous hemorrhage in aphakic eyes is sometimes difficult to ascertain, especially if fundus details are obscured. A vitreous hemorrhage secondary to corneoscleral wound neovascularization developed in nine eyes of eight patients 10 months to 17 years after intracapsular cataract surgery. Visualization of superior angle neovascularization, provocation of bleeding by rocking the gonioscopic contact lens, and documentation of vascular leakage by gonio-fluorescein angiography established the diagnosis. All affected eyes have remained hemorrhage-free after argon laser photocoagulation of the angle neovascularization. The clinician should be aware of cataract wound neovascularization, an apparently easy disorder to diagnose and treat, as a cause of vitreous hemorrhage.