Men with Behçet disease may be more prone to a poor visual prognosis following cataract surgery, according to a study.
“Phacoemulsification and IOL implantation in patients with Behçet disease can be safely and successfully performed in quiet eyes. A poor visual prognosis was associated with male sex, severe fundus complications, and erythema nodosum and could be predicted by [electroretinographic] abnormalities,” the study authors said.
The retrospective review analyzed 26 eyes of 21 men and 10 eyes of 6 women with Behçet disease who had complicated cataracts and previous intraocular inflammation.
All patients underwent phacoemulsification and IOL implantation at least 6 months after complete control of intraocular inflammation. The mean postoperative follow-up was 15 months (range: 6 to 26 months).
All female patients achieved a corrected distance visual acuity of 0.25 or better. All patients with corrected distance visual acuity worse than 0.1 were male.
At 1 month postop and at final follow-up, corrected distance visual acuity was significantly improved compared to baseline in 35 eyes (P < .0001).
The study authors recommended preoperative electroretinographic examinations to identify retinal atrophy so that affected patients can be informed about the likelihood of visual recovery.