J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2020 Jan;61(1):107-110. 10.3341/jkos.2020.61.1.107.

Asteroid Hyalosis that Caused Decreased Vision after Cataract Surgery

• Lee SM
• Jang JK
• Ahn J

• KMID: 2468483
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2020.61.1.107

Abstract

PURPOSE
To report a patient with asteroid hyalosis, which induced reduction of the visual acuity after cataract surgery.
CASE SUMMARY
A 79-year-old female with no ophthalmic history visited our clinic with decreased vision. Her best-corrected visual acuity in both eyes was 20/100 in the right eye and 20/60 in the left eye. She had senile cataract in both eyes, and asteroid hyalosis in the left eye. After cataract surgery, her visual acuity in the left eye decreased to finger count. There were no specific findings that could have caused the visual disturbance, except dense asteroid bodies on fundus examination. After removal of the asteroid bodies by vitrectomy, the best-corrected visual acuity of the left eye recovered to 20/20.
CONCLUSIONS
In patients with asteroid hyalosis, it is possible that decreased vision may be affected by changes of asteroid body properties in the vitreous gel after cataract surgery. The vision should improve after vitreous surgery.

Keyword

Asteroid body; Asteroid hyalosis; Cataract; Vitreous

MeSH Terms

Aged
Cataract*
Female
Fingers
Humans
Visual Acuity
Vitrectomy

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Wild-field fundus photographs of left eye. (A) Preoperative fundus photograph shows asteroid hyalosis. (B) Fundus photograph of 1 month after cataract surgery shows dense asteroid body which makes the optic disc and retinal vessels look hazy. (C) Fundus photograph of 1 month after vitrectomy shows clear fundus.

• 

  Figure 2 Optical coherence tomography (OCT) image of the left eye. (A) Before vitrectomy, there was no evidence of reduction of visual acuity, although it was not clearly visualized due to asteroid hyalosis. (B) After vitrectomy, OCT image was taken clearly.

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  Figure 3 Photographs under ophthalmic surgical microscope. Photographs of before (A) and during (B) vitrectomy. Dense asteroid body in vitreous cavity is seen.

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