Objective:

Evaluate the behavior of intraocular pressure after phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

Methods:

A prospective descriptive case-series study was conducted of patients attending the Ocular Microsurgery Service of Ramón Pando Ferrer Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology in a period of two years. The sample was 63 eyes operated on by the same surgeon and meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study variables were pre- and postoperative intraocular pressure, best visual acuity with and without correction, personal pathological antecedents, a history of ocular glaucoma, sex, crystalline lens hardness by LOCS III, expected and obtained spherical equivalent, and surgery-induced medial astigmatism.

Results:

A predominance was found of female patients without a history of glaucoma or hypertension and a crystalline lens hardness of III and IV. The highest mean intraocular pressure was observed 24 hours after surgery (p= 0.002) in crystalline hardness groups II, III and IV. Mean intraocular pressure decreased in patients with glaucoma antecedents as of the immediate postoperative period. No relationship was found between mean intraocular pressure variation and hypertension antecedents. The best corrected postoperative visual acuity improved significantly (p= 0.000). No significant differences were observed between the expected and the obtained spherical component. The difference between the mean pre- and post-operative cylinder was significant (p= 0.000).

Conclusion:

Phacoemulsification effectively reduces intraocular pressure in glaucoma and non-glaucoma patients.

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