Aqueous flare elevation in the fellow eye after vitrectomy

OBJECTIVE: Aqueous flare elevation has been shown to occur in the fellow eye after cataract surgery. This study tests whether such subclinical sympathetic reaction also takes place after vitrectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective clinical study, preoperative and postoperative 2-week levels of aqueous flare in the fellow eyes of 38 patients who underwent vitrectomy during a 6-month period were measured with a laser flare-cell meter. RESULTS: Aqueous flare levels in the fellow eyes 2 weeks after vitrectomy (mean, 15.70 photon counts/millisecond) were significantly higher than preoperative flare levels (mean, 11.78 photon counts/millisecond, Wilcoxon's signed rank test, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that subclinical sympathetic reaction did occur in the fellow eyes after vitrectomy.