Sir,
I read with interest the article entitled ‘Cataract surgery after intra-vitreal injection of triamcinalone acetonide’ by Jonas et al.1 They have concluded that cataract surgery following intra-vitreal injection of triamcinalone is safe. This conclusion is based on a very small sample size of 22 cases. The posterior capsular rupture rate was calculated to be 4.5% based on one patient. I would expect the confidence interval to be large. The incidences of posterior capsular rupture in various reports have ranged between 1 and 4.8%. It is, therefore, difficult to draw any conclusions.
Secondary cataract was seen in one patient. A mean follow-up of 3.76 + 4.99 months is too short a period to reveal the true posterior capsular opacification rate.
Furthermore, with a reported incidence of postoperative endophthalmitis ranging between 0.04 and 0.2%, it is impossible to make any comments on the endophthalmitis rate based on a sample of 22 cases.
I feel that the conclusions have been overstated.
References
Jonas JB, Kreissig I, Degenring RF . Cataract surgery after intra-vitreal injection of triamcinalone acetonide. Eye 2004; 18: 361–364.
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Shankar, J. Cataract surgery after intravitreal injection of triamcinalone. Eye 19, 932–933 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.eye.6701698
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.eye.6701698