Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and treatment of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) 1 year after vitrectomy in eyes without a history of glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
Patients and methods: This retrospective study comprised 256 eyes from 256 consecutive patients without a history of glaucoma or ocular hypertension who underwent vitrectomy and were followed up for 1 year. The incidence of elevated IOP at 1 year after vitrectomy was calculated. We compared the characteristics of patients with or without elevated IOP to identify possible risk factors for elevated IOP. The treatments used to control IOP were recorded and analyzed.
Results: A total of 50 patients (19.5%) had elevated IOP after vitrectomy at the 1-year follow-up. Tamponade was a significant risk factor for elevated IOP (P <0.05). The cumulative rates of elevated IOP in eyes with air, balanced salt solution, sulfur hexafluoride, perfluoropropane (C3F8), and silicone oil as the tamponade were 0, 10.8%, 5.9%, 19.8%, and 28.4%, respectively (P <0.05). About 68% of cases of elevated IOP occurred within 1 month after vitrectomy. At 1 year after vitrectomy, 29 patients (58.0%) had stopped their IOP-lowering drugs and 21 (42.0%) patients were continuing these drugs. About 65% of ocular hypertension patients who received silicone oil tamponade had not stopped IOP-lowering drugs; this rate was significantly greater than that of ocular hypertension patients who received C3F8 tamponade (18.2%, P <0.05).
Conclusion: Elevated IOP is a common complication after vitrectomy. Silicone oil tamponade was associated with greater risk of elevated IOP and had long-term effects on IOP. Drugs and surgery were used to control IOP, and some patients required long-term IOP-lowering therapy.
Keywords: ocular hypertension, vitrectomy, silicone oil, glaucoma