ESCRS - PP10.11 - Axial Length Modification After Cataract Surgery

Axial Length Modification After Cataract Surgery

Published 2022 - 40th Congress of the ESCRS

Reference: PP10.11 | Type: ESCRS 2022 - Posters | DOI: 10.82333/6xb5-g382

Authors: Ferdinando Cione* 1 , Marco Gioia 1 , Sergio Pagliarulo 1 , Ilenia Di Paola 1 , Nicola Rosa 1

1University of Salerno,Salerno,Italy

Purpose

To confirm the presence of Axial Length (AL) modifications after cataract surgery.

Setting

University Eye Clinic, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Italy.

Methods

In this retrospective, comparative study, records of patient that underwent unilateral cataract surgery were evaluated.  Before surgery, patients underwent a complete ophthalmic evaluation, including optical biometry using an IOLMaster 500 Zeiss. The same exams were repeated in both eyes at least two months after surgery, using two different AL detection modalities (pseudophakic and aphakic options). The AL changes between pre- and post-operative examination were evaluated.

Results

Two-hundred-one eyes of 201 patients (100 males) and 201 fellow, unoperated eyes were analysed. In operated eyes, mean AL difference with pseudophakic option was - 0.11 mm ± 0.07 mm, (p < 0.001, Paired T-test) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) ranging from - 0.12mm to -0.10mm.  Mean AL difference with aphakic option was 0.00 ± 0.07 mm, (p = 0.922) with a 95% CI ranging from - 0.01mm to + 0.00mm.  In non-operated eyes, mean AL difference was 0.00 ± 0.05 mm, (p = 0.185) with a 95% CI ranging from - 0.00mm to + 0.01mm.

Conclusions

After cataract surgery, there was a reduction in AL measurement with pseudophakic option, undetected with the aphakic option. Many hypotheses could explain this evidence, but the most plausible seems to be an incorrect estimate of the Group Refractive Index (GRI) in phakic eyes.