Prevalence and surgical complications of pseudoexfoliation syndrome among rural population presenting with senile cataract in South India

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of pseudoexfoliation (PEX) among patients presenting with cataract in rural South India and to assess the perioperative complications encountered during cataract surgery. Patients and methods This prospective, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, East Point College of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore, India. A total of 2708 patients with senile cataract attending the camps conducted by the department were selected for the study. Patients aged between 50 and 90 years, planned for cataract surgery were consecutively included and a complete ophthalmic evaluation was done for the presence of PEX. The complications encountered during cataract surgery were noted and assessed. Results The study included 4390 phakic eyes of 2708 patients. The prevalence of PEX, observed in this study population, was 4.62%. The mean age of the patients with PEX was 67±7.5 years, with 66.4% of the patients being males and 33.6% being females. Unilateral involvement was observed in 63.2% of the patients, whereas 36.8% had bilateral PEX. The mean pupillary dilation was 5.2±1.01 mm in the patients diagnosed with PEX. The presence of nondilating pupils was statistically significantly higher (P=0.000) in the PEX group compared to the non-PEX patients. Increased preoperative intraocular pressure was observed in 22.4% of the PEX patients. Vitreous loss (in 7.2%), zonular dehiscence (in 6.4%), and intraocular lens decentration (in 4.8%) were the most encountered complications with a statistically significant higher occurrence in the PEX group (P<0.05). In addition, capsular rent was observed in 1.6% of the PEX cases. Conclusion The prevalence of PEX among patients presenting with cataract in this South Indian study was similar to other published Indian studies. There were comparable rates of complications in cataract surgery among the PEX patients to the existing literature.