Abstract
TO THE EDITOR. —We recently performed planned extracapsular cataract extractions (ECCE) in eight patients who had developed visually disabling cataracts seven to 107 months after pars plana vitrectomy. Lenses were clear or had visually insignificant opacities at the time of vitrectomy, which had been performed for hemorrhage due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (five eyes) or branch retinal vein occlusion (one eye), or for recurrent traction retinal detachment as a result of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (two eyes). Lens extractions were performed after retrobulbar anesthesia had been administered. No external compression devices were used; minimal digital massage was performed in several cases. A circular can-opener style anterior capsulotomy approximately 7 mm in diameter was fashioned with a bent needle. Great difficulty was encountered in attempting to express the nucleus by our usual technique of exerting pressure peripheral to the limbus superiorly and inferiorly. We noted the anterior chambers were unusually deep and that
