[Morphologic changes of anterior segment of the eye after cataract surgery]

The goal of our study was to evaluate the changes of the anterior chamber and how these changes influence the intraocular pressure in patients, with diagnosed cataract only and with patients with cataract and angle closed glaucoma.

In this study 82 eyes in 82 patients were involved, who were divided into two groups. The first one, consists 60 of patients only with cataract and the second one consists 22 of patients with cataract and closed-angle glaucoma. We have measured the depth of the anterior chamber and the width of the iridocorneal angle with the help of anterior chamber optic coherent tomography and the intraocular pressure before and five weeks after the cataract surgery.

Anterior chambers of all patients were deeper after cataract surgery. In the first group, patients only with cataract, the anterior chamber were deeper of 1.4 mm and in the second group the anterior chamber were deeper of 1.5 mm. The iridocorneal angle has opened at 3 o'clock from 23.2 +/- 9.5 degrees to 35.5 +/- 6.8 degrees and at 9 o'clock from 23.7 +/- 8.8 degrees na 36.4 +/- 7.9 degrees in the first group. Same changes were evaluate in patients with angle closed glaucoma at 3 o'clock the angle deepened from 18.5 +/- 10.0 degrees to 31.7 +/- 7.0 degrees and at 9 o'clock from 20.3 +/- 10.2 to 34.6 +/- 7.6 degrees. The values of intraocular pressure decreased from 14.8 +/- 3.6 mmHg to 13.3 +/- 2.9 mmHg in cataract only group and from 17.9 +/- 4 mmHg to 15.9 +/- 3.8 mmHg in the second group respectively. The deepening of the anterior chamber and opening of the iridocorneal angle with decreasing of the intraocular pressure after the cataract surgery are statistically significant P < 0.001.

Cataract surgery deepen the anterior chamber significantly, it wides the iridocorneal angle and lowers intraocular pressure.