Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology Department, Al Azhar University

All the patients underwent the surgical removal of cataract by the same surgeon according to the standard protocols for modern phacoemulsification. Surgery was done under local anesthesia by peri-bulbar injection of local anesthetic. All operations were performed in an operating room by using an operating microscope under complete aseptic condition by using 10% povidone iodine solution applied to the skin of eye lid, eye lashes, side of the nose, eye brow and the skin of forehead. Before the operation, sterile drape and eyelid speculum were used, then 5% povidone iodine solution was applied to the bulbar conjunctiva and fornices for about 5 minutes, then was irrigated by balanced salt solution (BSS).

All the patients were followed up at the 1st day, 1st week, 1st month and at the 3rd month after the operation. At each visit the followings should be assessed: the post-operative refraction, the best corrected visual acuity and anterior and posterior segments examination for any sign of postoperative inflammation as cells and flare. Intra-ocular pressure (IOP) assessment and optical coherence tomography (OCT) images were also taken at the 1st and the 3rd postoperative months to assess the central macular thickness in suspected cases of cystoid macular edema (CME) based upon symptoms or signs observed on fundus examination, were confirmed by OCT of the macula through subjective interpretation via presence of cysts or an objective measurement of retinal thickness > 250 microns.