Appearance of age related maculopathy after cataract surgery.

The pathogenesis of age-related maculopathy (ARM), the most common cause of visual loss after the age of 60 years, involves a variety of hereditary and environmental factors. When the cataractous lens is removed and replaced by clear intraocular lens, a significant increase in ocular transmittance of optical radiation occurs. The aim of this study was to assess whether cataract surgery in older persons may increase the risk for development of ARM. This is a retrospective study. Medical records of 307 patients, aged 43 to 96 years, (163 male and 144 female) were randomly evaluated. They had undergone cataract extraction (phacoemulsification or extracapsular lens extraction) with clear intraocular lens implantation from January 2001 to December 2005 at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Rijeka. Patients were examined two weeks after surgery and followed up for at least two years. Based on the exclusion criteria, only patients without any sign of AMD at the first postoperative check up were included. A total of 80 patients (26%) showed development of ARM at the last check up, which was at least 2 years after surgery. Our results indicate that pseudophakia is a risk factor for development of ARM.