Cause of retina swelling

I had a cataract removed in April 2010.  My eyes have always been in excellent health.  Now, I have developed a retinal swelling in the same eye I had the cataract in.  Only a slight swelling in the other eye.  Did the cataract removed cause the retinal swelling?

Thank you,
Libby

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

Cataract surgery can cause retinal swelling in susceptible patients.  Susceptible patients have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other diseases which tend to make the blood vessels more fragile.  If you have any of these problems, even if well controlled, this is likely the contributing factor.