To determine the incidence of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in a series of patients who have undergone cataract surgery by phacoemulsification.Comparative case series.A consecutive series of 149 patients who underwent cataract surgery aged between 50 and 60 years were evaluated in this study.Patients identified as being eligible for this study were recalled for an ophthalmic assessment, which included a dilated retinal examination.The status of the vitreous was recorded following an evaluation by slit-lamp biomicroscopy, binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy, and B-scan ultrasonography.A PVD was documented in 50.8% of the pseudophakic eyes as compared to 20.8% in the phakic fellow eyes. This difference was statistically significant. Furthermore, the incidence of PVD was greater in pseudophakic eyes with an axial length of 25 mm or greater compared to those eyes with an axial length of <25 mm. Neodymium: yttrium garnet (Nd:YAG) capsulotomy did not influence the prevalence of PVD.In this series of eyes, with a median follow-up interval of 77 months the incidence of pseudophakic retinal detachment (PRD) was 4%.The incidence of PVD in pseudophakic eyes in the 6th decade is higher than those phakic eyes, and is likely to be associated with the increased risk of PRD observed in this age group.