SUMMARY
Laser flare photometry is a noninvasive technique, that can objectively assess the flare content of the anterior chamber of the human eye using a He-Ne laser slit lamp. The purpose of this study was to compare the intensity of the anterior chamber reaction in patients of different races that underwent uneventful ECCE with posterior chamber IOL implantation. Thirty consecutive patients with senile cataracts (10 white, 10 black and 10 Japanese) were operated by the sarne surgeon and technique. Flare photometry was performed before the surgery and on days 3, 6, 30, 60 and 90. Exclusion included conditions that could increase the flare in the aqueous humor. Flare average in white, Japanese and black patients with senile cataracts were 8, 47, 7.00 and 5.66 photon count/mse, respectively. White patients had less inflammation than Japanese and black patients at ali study days (p < 0.05). After 3 months the averages became normal. A better know-ledge of the anterior chamber inflammatory pattern in the different races may be useful for the identification of the specific risk and prognostic surgical factors.
Key word:
Cataract; Inflammation; Flare; Races