Retinal detachments following intraocular lens implantation.

Pseudophakic retinal detachments are more difficult to manage than the phakic variety, primarily because of increased difficulties in visualizing the peripheral retina. A review of the characteristics of 70 pseudophakic retinal detachments revealed that they were similar to those following routine cataract extraction, although we noted a mild tendency for periretinal membrane formation to be more commonly associated with the former group. Despite problems in viewing pseudophakic detachments, our data suggest that their repair rate closely approximates that for aphakic eyes, assuming allowances are made for the number of cases with significant periretinal membranes that are accepted for surgery. Visual results following successful surgery may be somewhat lower than those in comparable aphakic eyes.