Combined pars plana vitrectomy, lensectomy and intraocular lens implantation for diabetic retinopathy

We studied the results of combination surgery (pars plana vitrectomy, phacoemulsification, and intraocular lens implantation) to treat proliferative diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema in 42 eyes of 38 patients who visited Kyushu University and Kyudu Medical Center during a 24-month period. Combination surgery was performed for patients older than 40 years who were candidates for cataract removal by peripheral vitrectomy but who did not have iris neovascularization and were not considered at high risk for a repeat operation. Mild complications occurred in 24 of the 42 eyes and none had serious complications. Subsequently 4 of these eyes underwent another intraocular procedure, and the peripheral/retina could be visualized and the procedure completed without extracting the intraocular lens.