Optical coherence tomography in patients undergoing cataract surgery.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Cataract surgery is a common procedure.
• Accurate diagnosis of macular pathologies is crucial for visual outcomes.
• Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) offers high-resolution imaging of the macula.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic capability of SD-OCT for macular changes before and after cataract surgery.
• To analyze changes in central foveal thickness (CFT) in relation to patient demographics and co-existing eye conditions.
• To compare SD-OCT with binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO) for preoperative maculopathy detection.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 98 patients undergoing cataract surgery.
• SD-OCT imaging performed within 5 hours pre-surgery and at 7, 30, 60, 90, and 180 days post-surgery.
• Assessment of central foveal thickness (CFT) and presence of maculopathy.

Main Results:

• SD-OCT diagnosed preoperative maculopathy in 21.4% of cases, compared to 11.2% with BIO.
• A progressive increase in CFT was observed in diabetic patients up to 180 days post-surgery.
• Higher CFT was noted in male patients and those over 70 years old.

Conclusions:

• SD-OCT is a superior diagnostic tool for detecting preoperative maculopathies compared to BIO.
• Cataract surgery outcomes can be influenced by age, sex, and underlying diabetic retinopathy.
• Long-term monitoring of CFT is important in diabetic patients post-cataract surgery.