Posterior vitreous detachment after cataract extraction in non-myopic eyes and the resulting retinal lesions.

A series of 54 non-myopic aphakic eyes with no signs of posterior vitreous detachment and 63 non-myopic aphakic eyes with various stages of posterior vitreous detachment was followed-up for a period of 6 months to 6 years. Over half of the eyes with no vitreous detachment when first examined developed various stages of posterior vitreous detachment during the follow-up period; in 10 eyes this was accompanied by entopsies with or without photopsies and three eyes developed five new retinal tears. In over half of the eyes with partial vitreous detachment when first examined, the vitreous detachment continued to progress causing retinal detachment in one eye. Late vitreous detachment in non-myopic aphakia or the completion of a partially-detached vitreous could account for the higher incidence of retinal tears in this group of eyes.