The early postoperative pressure course in glaucoma patients following cataract surgery.

The intraocular pressure (IOP) course during the first 2 months after cataract surgery in patients with preexisting glaucoma was evaluated in 25 consecutive cases of extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOL) implantation and in 25 cases of intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE) without IOL implantation. Although the former group had a slightly more favorable postoperative IOP course, approximately half of each group had a pressure rise above 21 mm Hg on the first day postoperatively, and approximately 80% had an IOP rise during the first postoperative month. These findings support the position that all glaucoma patients require close monitoring of their IOPs immediately after both ECCE and ICCE, and that patients with moderate to advanced glaucomatous damage should probably have glaucoma surgery either before or in combination with their cataract operation.