Necrotizing scleritis after intraocular surgery associated with the use of polyester nonabsorbable sutures

We present 2 elderly patients who developed necrotizing scleritis after cataract extraction in which the wound was sutured with polyester. In the first case, a 73-year-old woman who had right phacoemulsification via a limbal incision developed necrotizing scleritis 8 months after surgery. The eye became progressively painful and phthisical, necessitating enucleation. Microscopic examination of the enucleated globe showed a predominantly lymphocytic infiltration of the ocular tissues with no evidence of an infectious agent. In the second case, a 78-year-old woman had bilateral extracapsular cataract extraction through a limbal incision closed with a polyester suture. The patient presented 3 years later with bilateral necrotizing sclerokeratitis. No underlying systemic vasculitis or autoimmune condition was identified in either patient. To our knowledge, the association of necrotizing scleritis after intraocular surgery and polyester fiber suture material (Mersilene) has not been described.