OUTCOMES OF COMBINED PHACOEMULSIFICATION AND PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY FOR RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT A Comparative Study

Purpose: To evaluate and to compare the anatomical and functional results of phacovitrectomy and pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) alone for phakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Methods: Retrospective, comparative case series of 266 phakic eyes that underwent either combined phacovitrectomy or PPV alone for primary retinal detachment. The primary anatomical success rate, the final best-corrected visual acuity, and the refractive outcomes were analyzed. Results: One hundred and twenty-seven eyes were included in the combined group and 139 in the PPV group. The primary anatomical success rate was 84.3% in the combined group and 89.2% in the PPV group (P = 0.311). One hundred and nine (78.4%) eyes of the PPV group required cataract removal for visual rehabilitation during the follow-up period. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean final best-corrected visual acuity (P = 0.185) and mean visual changes (P = 0.470). Overall, combined cataract extraction resulted in a significant myopic shift compared with delayed cataract surgery (P = 0.047). Conclusion: Combined phacoemulsification and PPV is a safe and effective procedure to treat retinal detachment. The anatomical and functional results were comparable with those obtained with PPV and delayed cataract surgery. However, the refractive outcomes were less favorable and shifted toward myopia, especially in macula-off cases.