I reviewed the records of 74 consecutive, unselected diabetic patients (91 eyes) who had cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation. The retinopathy status remained unchanged in 79 eyes. Of the 12 in which retinopathy status changed, four eyes without previous retinopathy developed mild background retinopathy, seven eyes that had had mild background retinopathy progressed to moderate background retinopathy, and one eye that had had background retinopathy developed mild proliferative retinopathy. Sixty-four eyes (70.3%) achieved visual acuities of 20/40 or better. The examination, photography, and photocoagulation treatment of the retina were not affected by the presence of an intraocular lens.