This complications happens more often that we may imagine: the patient receives an intra-vitreal injection for treatment of posterior segment disease (often diabetic macular edema, proliferative retinopathy, or macular degeneration) and the lens capsule is inadvertently pierced by the needle. This iatrogenic complication can lead to rapid cataract progression often within weeks of the trauma. The challenge is that during cataract surgery this damaged posterior capsule can split even more resulting in dislocation of nuclear pieces into the vitreous cavity. We have featured a guest lecture dealing with this topic from Professor Tom Oetting (University of Iowa, USA) previously and it is definitely worth revisiting. In the case presented here our guest surgeon does a great job of this tricky case and offers so many great pearls. You will certainly face a case like this in your future, so time to learn about it now!
Don’t say it won’t happen.