Re: Meuer et al.: The epidemiology of vitreoretinal interface abnormalities as detected by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography: the Beaver Dam Eye Study (Ophthalmology 2015;122:787-95)

The article by Meuer et al1 reports that epiretinal membranes were absent in 19% of those having had cataract extraction, and present in 33%, with a P value of <0.0001. This is a stunning finding and seems to indicate that cataract extraction is not as benign a procedure as it seems generally thought to be. The authors do not comment on whether this was merely a function of age, or seemed to be related to the surgery.