Posters

Corneal power and axial length changes after cataract surgery

Poster Details

First Author: G.Abbinante ITALY

Co Author(s):    M. De Bernardo   A. Coppola   G. Salerno   A. Giugliano   N. Rosa        

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To assess whether cataract surgery causes changes in corneal power (Km) and in axial length (AL), measured by an optical biometry (IOLMaster 5.4.4.0006 by Zeiss), which could influence the refractive outcome. The study was performed  to understand if the AL measurements after cataract surgery are reliable, or if it is necessary to apply a correcting factor to the results obtained by the IOLMaster.

Setting:

University Eye Clinic, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno.

Methods:

248 eyes of 124 patients (59 males) planned to undergo sequential bilateral cataract surgery, were included in the present study.  Before the first eye surgery, patients underwent complete ophthalmic examination, including IOLMaster biometry. The day before the fellow eye cataract surgery,  performed at least two months after the first one,  the ophthalmic examination was repeated in both eyes. Differences in Km and AL in the first operated eyes were estimated, and fellow eyes were used as controls. Statistical evaluation was performed utilizing paired T Test.

Results:

Km differences in the operated eyes ranged from -1.97 to +0.98 D (mean=0.00 ±0.35 D) (p=0.63); in the non-operated eyes they ranged from -0.7 to +0.7 D (mean= 0 ±0.22D) (P=0.86). The AL differences (pseudophakic option) in the operated eyes ranged from -0.35 to +0.15 mm (mean =-0.10 ±0.08 mm) (p<0.001); with the aphakic option they ranged from -0.24 to +0.26 mm (mean = 0.01 ±0.08 mm) (p= 0.41). In the non-operated eyes, the AL differences ranged from -0.26 to + 0.19 mm (mean= 0 ± 0.04 mm) (P=0.71).

Conclusions:

Potential changes in Km and AL are not attributable to the modern phacoemulsification technique. Thus, the AL changes seem to be an incorrect estimation of the optical biometry either in phakic or  in pseudophakic eyes.

Financial Disclosure:

None