Materials in vitreous seen in about half of phaco cases

(HealthDay)—Materials in the vitreous (MIV) are identified in approximately half of phacoemulsification cataract surgery (phaco) cases, in Berger's space or the anterior vitreous (AV), according to a study published online June 17 in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology.

Andrew W. Kam, from the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, and colleagues conducted a prospective observational study involving 767 consecutive phaco cases to identify and classify MIV.

The researchers observed MIV in 50.3 percent of cases (386 eyes), either in Berger's space or the AV. Most MIV was suspected to be lens material (46.5 percent of all cases). In 9.8 and 1.7 percent of cases, respectively, pigment and ophthalmic viscoelastic devices were seen in the AV. Positive predictors for the presence of MIV included higher nuclear sclerosis grade, male gender, and older age. The MIV was identified as lens material in histological assessment with light microscopy and birefringence techniques.

"MIV were seen in 50.3 percent of phaco cases," the authors write. "It has been histologically demonstrated that lens materials can be introduced into the AV during phaco."