EFFECT OF PREOPERATIVE YAG LASER ANTERIOR CAPSULOTOMY ON THE INCIDENCE OF POSTERIOR CAPSULE OPACIFICATION - 10 YEAR FOLLOW-UP

One hundred twenty-two patients, who were followed for ten years, had bilateral extracapsular cataract surgery with implantation of J-looped posterior chamber lenses between 1980 and 1981. On the first eve an anterior capsulotomy was performed with a pico-second YAG laser 12 to 20 hours before surgery; on the second eye a capsulotomy was performed manually at the time of surgery. Four of the eyes (3.27%) with laser capsulotomies had opacified posterior capsules after ten years; 61 of the eves (50.00%) with manual capsulotomies had opacified capsules that had to be opened with a YAG laser.