Perfluorocarbon liquid left in vitreous cavity after recovery of dropped nuclei by anterior segment surgeons after cataract surgery

Background: Perfluorocarbon liquid (PFC) has been used for almost 2 decades in many intraocular procedures. In this report we comment on 3 patients with retained PFC in vitreous cavity (VC) following complicated phacoemulsification surgery. Methods: Retrospective chart review. Results: All patients had pars plana vitrectomy performed after the initial complicated cataract surgery in which PFC was inappropriately used to recover a dropped nuclei. The time between the first and the second surgery was I week for the first patient, 2 weeks for the second patient, and 3 months for the third patient. A better outcome was seen in the patient with the shorter interval between the surgeries. Reduced visual acuity, retinal and optic nerve pallor were found in the patient that had the PFC in the VC for a longer period.