What is posterior capsular opacification and how is it treated?
Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) is the most common complication of cataract surgery. PCO can cause significant visual symptoms and is effectively treated with laser capsulotomy.
What does posterior capsular opacification mean?
Posterior capsular opacification is a result of clouding of a membrane that surrounds the replacement lens implanted during cataract surgery. Fortunately, PCO is easily treated using a YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) laser.
How common is PCO after cataract surgery?
Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) is the most frequent complication of cataract surgery and can develop soon after to a few years post-procedure [1, 2], with incidence figures ranging from <5% to as high as 50% [3].
When does posterior lens opacification ( PCO ) occur?
Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) is a complication that can occur sometime after cataract surgery. It is fairly common; 10 per cent of people will develop PCO within two years of having cataract surgery. PCO can cause vision to become cloudy again.
What does it mean to have posterior capsular opacification?
What is posterior capsule opacification? Posterior capsular opacification (PCO) occurs when a cloudy layer of scar tissue forms behind your lens implant. This may cause you to have blurry or hazy vision, or to see a lot of glare from lights. PCO is fairlypatients.
When does the posterior capsule of a PCO curl up?
Left: View through the infrared camera of the femtosecond laser during primary posterior laser capsulotomy. The treatment is performed at the end of surgery, after IOL implantation. Right: Immediately after the treatment, the posterior capsule starts to curl up.
Is the incidence of PCO decreasing after cataract surgery?
“Their incidence of retinal tears/detachments just after cataract surgery alone could be 5 percent or higher, and that rate probably increases after posterior capsulotomy,” he says. Although today’s technologies and techniques appear to have decreased the incidence of PCO, they may only have delayed its onset.
How soon can PCO appear after cataract surgery?
PCO is a not uncommon condition that can occur after cataract surgery. This can occur months to years after surgery. It is simply the formation of a layer of lens cells on the back surface of the capsule in which the artificial lens is sitting.
What is PCO in ophthalmology?
PCO stands for Posterior Capsular Opacification (ophthalmology) Suggest new definition. This definition appears frequently and is found in the following Acronym Finder categories: Science, medicine, engineering, etc.
What is PCO eyes?
PCO formation is an attempt by the eye to make a new lens from remaining lens material. One form of PCO is a fibrosis that forms inside the capsule by lens epithelial (covering) cells that migrate from the anterior capsule to the posterior capsule when the anterior lens capsule is opened to remove the primary cataract and insert the IOL .
What is a posterior capsulotomy?
POSTERIOR CAPSULOTOMY. A posterior capsulotomy is a non-invasive laser procedure to eliminate posterior capsule opacification (PCO). This is necessary after Cataract Surgery when the thin clear membrane (lens capsule) surrounding the natural lens that is left intact to support the artificial lens becomes cloudy sometime later.