Comparison of central macular thickness after SICS and phacoemulsification cataract surgery, using Oct

Abstract

Introduction: Cataract surgery is one of the most routinely performed surgeries in the field of Ophthalmology. In most cases, the fundus of a postoperative eye does not show any change macroscopically. However, techniques such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) can help to detect any microscopic changes in the fundus. Aim: To compare the central macular thickness after SICS to that after Phacoemulsification cataract surgery, using HD-OCT. Materials and Methods: A prospective study to compare the Central Macular Thickness after SICS and Phacoemulsification cataract surgeries using HD-OCT in 20 patients with Nuclear sclerosis grade II-III cataract, and no posterior segment pathology was done. Results:Average age of the patients was 61.85 in the SICS group and 64.4 in the phacoemulsification group (Table 1). 45% patients in the SICS group and 50% patients in the phacoemulsification group were males. (Table 2, Figure 3) On post-op day 1, foveal thickness was 198.230±1.027 um in the SICS group and 193.745 ±0.566um, in the phacoemulsification group. On post-op day 7, it was 203.880±1.548um and 197.090±0.461 um, while on post-op day 45 it was 212.095±0.694um and 202.095±0.694um in the SICS and phacoemulsification group respectively. (Figure 3)The p value was noted to be <.001 on all three post-operative days when macular thickness was measured, indicating that the difference between the central macular thickness of the SICS and Phacoemulsification groups was statistically significant. Conclusion: Hence, we conclude that there was presence of subclinical increase in the central macular thickness following cataract surgery. It was more following SICS than phacoemulsification, and maximum at post-op day 45. It was also observed that recovery was faster following phacoemulsification.