AIM: To study the incidence and risk factors of posterior capsular opacification(PCO)after cataract surgery in diabetic patients.

METHODS: Clinical data of 182 cases(203 eyes)who underwent cataract phacoemulsification combined with intracellular lens implantation in our hospital from April 2016 to August were collected. The patients were divided into diabetic group(DM group, 98 eyes)and non-diabetic group(non-DM group, 105 eyes)according to whether they had diabetes before operation. DM group were divided into groups according to whether PCO occurred 30mo after cataract surgery, 26 eyes in the PCO group, and 72 eyes in non-PCO group. The incidence and grading of PCO in the DM group and the non-DM group were compared. The effects of preoperative diabetic course, HbA1c level and the presence of diabetic retinopathy on PCO in DM group were tested.

RESULTS: The incidence of PCO was 10.2%, 14.3%, 22.4%, 26.5% at 12, 18, 24 and 30mo in the DM group and 2.8%, 4.8%, 10.5%, and 14.3% in the non-DM group. Two groups of patients with the degree of PCO are gradually increasing, and the degree of each point in time the PCO patients with DM group were heavier than patients without DM group(all P<0.05). There were differences in the preoperative course of diabetes and the presence of DR between PCO and non-PCO groups(P<0.05), but there was no difference in the preoperative level of HbA1c(P>0.05).

CONCLUSION: The incidence of PCO in diabetic patients after cataract surgery was higher than that in non-diabetic patients, and the degree of opacity was more severe. Preoperative course of diabetes and the presence of DR were risk factors for PCO.