Change in Anterior and Posterior Curvature After Cataract Surgery

To analyze the change in anterior and posterior corneal curvature after cataract surgery using a Placido-dual rotating Scheimpflug device.

In a prospective cross-sectional study, corneal curvature was measured using the Galilei G4 device (Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems, Port, Switzerland) preoperatively and 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months after cataract surgery with a temporal limbal self-sealing 2.2-mm incision. The surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) was determined on the anterior and posterior surfaces.

Fifty-nine patients (68 eyes) were assessed. Based on the anterior corneal surface, 16 (23.5%) eyes had a vertically steep meridian (with-the-rule [WTR] astigmatism), 32 (47.1%) had a horizontally steep meridian (against-the-rule [ATR] astigmatism), and 20 (29.4%) had oblique astigmatism. Based on the posterior corneal surface, 2 (2.9%) eyes had a horizontally steep meridian (ATR astigmatism), 62 (91.2%) had a vertically steep meridian (WTR astigmatism), and 4 (5.9%) had oblique astigmatism. SIA of the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces was 0.61 ± 0.33 and 0.20 ± 0.17 diopters (D), respectively. However, there was no significant difference between the preoperative and the 6-month postoperative data in the Jackson coefficient orthogonal coordinate system for the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces. SIA of WTR astigmatism of the posterior cornea was 0.19 ± 0.16 D at 6 months. Sixty-one of 62 eyes with WTR astigmatism in the posterior corneal surface still showed WTR astigmatism after cataract surgery.

The tendency of SIA of the posterior cornea may not be uniform, but type of posterior corneal astigmatism did not change in most cases after the 2.2-mm temporal limbal incision cataract surgery. [J Refract Surg. 2016;32(11):754-759.].