Complications of vitreous surgery for diabetic retinopathy. I. Intraoperative complications.

One hundred seventy-nine eyes were analyzed to determine the incidence of intraoperative complications during vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Inadvertent corneal epithelial defects occurred in 51 eyes (28%). The lens was removed in 42 (25%) of 170 phakic eyes. This was done through a pars plana approach. Accidental mechanical lens damage occurred in one eye, and mild pharmacologic lens damage occurred in two eyes. Some bleeding from fibrovascular tissue occurred in nearly every case, but this was controlled with diathermy except in seven eyes (4%) in which severe bleeding required premature termination of the operation. Latrogenic retinal tears occurred in 36 (20%) of the 179 eyes. Fifteen (34%) of the total of 44 retinal tears were anterior to the equator, and 11 (73%) of the 15 anterior tears were located posterior to the sclerotomy through which the vitrectomy probe was introduced. Twenty-nine (66%) of the 44 retinal tears were posterior to the equator, and 19 of the 29 occurred within 15 degrees radius of the fovea.