Calling all cataract surgeons! Is your low vitreous loss rate storing up future problems for your staff or trainees? Vitreous loss is a rare but inevitable complication of cataract surgery, occurring in ~2% of phacoemulsification surgeries, yet the predicted probability for this complication can range from <0.75 to >75%, depending on the patient’s risk profile.1 Despite risk stratification, these numbers can be unduly influenced and confounded in a training university hospital environment by the experience level of the surgeon and the degree of supervision provided.

As capsule rupture and vitreous loss can be a stressful situation, it follows then that a robust plan is required to ensure proper management, particularly when it is a relatively rare occurrence. Proper management requires that the necessary equipment be readily available and that both the surgeon and theatre staff be familiar with its setup and use. The proper and timely management of vitreous loss can have a significant impact on patient outcomes, principally retinal detachment and cystoid macular oedema.1, 2 A recent publication from the UK National Ophthalmology Database Study of Cataract Surgery suggested that a surgeon’s level of experience was a risk factor in pseudophakic retinal detachment, which they extrapolated to be related to the quality of the management of vitreous loss.2

Log in or create a free account to read this content

Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com

Access through your institution

or

Sign in or create an account
Continue with Google
Continue with ORCiD