Torn posterior capsule: prevention, recognition and management

Modern cataract surgery performed with phacoemulsification allows meticulous intraocular control and minimal incision size, but has the inherent risk of capsular rupture. Therefore, surgeons performing cataract surgery will inevitably face the complication of a torn posterior capsule. Torn posterior capsules are reported to occur in 0.3%-6% of cases. Faced with this complication, it is best for a surgeon to approach its management with the same systematic analytical and objective evaluation that would be applied to any surgery. Keep in mind that "great opportunity is usually disguised as an unsolvable problem." Proper resolution will then provide the patient with the best surgical, and therefore the best visual, outcome.