Cystoid Macular Oedema After Cataract Eye Surgery

Although cataract eye surgery is a common procedure with very low chance of serious complications, there are some potential risks.

One of the less common but most serious of these is cystoid macular oedema.

Cystoid macular oedema occurs after cataract eye surgery when fluid builds up between the layers of the retina, which is the layer of nerve cells that lines the inner wall of the back of the eye.

There are two types of cystoid macular oedema:

1. Angiographic cystoid macular oedema is very common after cataract eye surgery, but it doesn’t cause blindness or affect vision.
2. Clinical cystoid macular oedema is less common and more serious, causing loss of vision. It accounts for less than 10% of cystoid macular oedema cases. It is thought that this condition could be treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and current research into this is taking place.

Read about the other potential complications of cataract eye surgery here.

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