Comparison of partial coherence interferometers: Acmaster versus laboratory prototype

To evaluate anterior segment biometry using the ACMaster (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany) in regard to precision of measurement and clinical performance compared to the original laboratory prototype of the partial coherence interferometry technique.

Ten phakic (20 eyes) and 27 pseudophakic (44 eyes) patients were included in this study. Anterior segment biometry of phakic and pseudophakic study eyes was performed using the ACMaster and the laboratory prototype of the partial coherence interferometry technique. The ACMaster is a commercially available device based on the partial coherence interferometry technique, which provides high precision anterior segment measurements in a quick and user-friendly fashion. Examination included measurement of central corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth, and lens thickness, the latter only in the phakic eyes.

The consistency of anterior segment measurements performed with both units was excellent in phakic as well as in pseudophakic eyes. In pseudophakic eyes, the measurement of anterior chamber thickness and lens thickness with the ACMaster produced several (typical) measurement artifacts in some cases, which partially aggravated the identification of the A-scan peak representing the anterior intraocular lens surface.

The ACMaster is a user-friendly device that enables axial anterior segment biometry using the partial coherence interferometry technique with a reproducibility similar to that of the original laboratory prototype.