James S. Kelley

Increased Intraocular Pressure in the Immediate Postoperative Period After Extracapsular Cataract Extraction

We evaluated the immediate intraocular pressure increase after extracapsular cataract surgery in 58 eyes. Two to three hours postoperatively, 34 eyes (59%) developed an intraocular pressure greater than or equal to 25 mm Hg. We found an intraocular pressure of at least 40 mm Hg in seven eyes. Mean intraocular pressure two to three hours postoperatively was 8.9 +/- 9.8 mm Hg greater than the preoperative intraocular pressure. The use of intraocular sodium hyaluronate had no apparent effect on intraocular pressure.

Early Complications Following Q-switched Neodymium:YAG Laser Posterior Capsulotomy

A prospective evaluation was conducted of Q-switched neodymium: YAG laser capsulotomy in 53 eyes followed for one postoperative month. The first 31 eyes were seen at two-hour intervals for the first eight hours, and the remaining eyes were checked only at the second postoperative hour during that day. Eighty-nine percent of eyes required a pulse setting of less than 1.7 mJ to successfully penetrate the posterior capsule. Visual acuity was improved in 91% of eyes. A transient immediate postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation was seen in over 75% of treated eyes, and one-third had an IOP elevation greater than 10 mmHg over the preoperative IOP. This elevation was most common in glaucomatous eyes and occurred in almost one-half of the treated eyes by the second postoperative hour. This IOP change did not correlate with the degree of inflammation, bleeding, anterior chamber debris, or total energy delivered. Minimal iris bleeding occurred in 9% of treated eyes and was associated with iridocapsular adhesions. Eighty-one percent of eyes with posterior chamber implants developed some degree of lens damage.

Acute ocular leukemia.

A 71-year-old woman had a history of recent weight loss and bilateral decreased visual acuity, bilateral serous detachment, and mental depression. Fluorescein angiograms showed a myriad of retinal pigment epithelial leakage points. Despite extensive evaluation, the cause of her weight loss and ocular process remained uncertain until her death, when postmortem examination revealed leukemia infiltrates of many organs, including the choroid. After death, we correlated the clinical signs and fluorescein angiograms with the histopathologic findings. This case shows that choroidal disease may be a symptom of undetected leukemia.