Cataract surgery in uveitis
Reviewed by Jonathan Chan

This is a multicentre study of eight UK independent sites of patients with uveitis, undergoing cataract surgery between January 2010 and December 2014. A total of 1173 eyes were compared with a control reference group of 95,573 eyes from the same dataset. 1.2% of all eyes identified with uveitis had surgery and had worse visual acuity preoperatively (0.87 vs. 0.65 logMAR units). In addition, they were younger patients, with shorter axial lengths, small pupils and more co-morbidities including glaucoma. This group of uveitis patients also required additional surgical procedures, developed more intraoperative complications (posterior capsular rupture) and higher prevalence of postoperative macular oedema (3.33% vs. 1.35%, p< 0.0001). These patients also had a poorer postoperative visual acuity at all time points up to six months (0.41 vs. 0.27 logMAR units at 12-24 weeks). The authors concluded that based on these data, more accurate counselling and planning are required preoperatively and the prognosis is guarded, so that patient expectations are met. The mean postoperative visual acuity is between one and two lines worse at all time points. The limitations of study are that it is a pure observational study, with limited data fields retrieved from electronic medical records and variable duration of follow-up time frame in a ‘real world’ and unparalleled setting. 

Cataract surgery in uveitis: A multicentre database study.
Chu CJ, Dick AD, Johnston RL, et al.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
2017;101:1132-7