Comparison of a new biometer using swept-source optical coherence tomography and a conventional biometer using...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Accurate axial length (AL) measurement is crucial for intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation in cataract surgery.
• Conventional biometry devices use a single refractive index, potentially introducing errors in eyes with varying axial lengths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare axial length measurements between a new swept-source OCT biometer (Argos) and a conventional partial coherence interferometry biometer (IOL Master).
• To evaluate the impact of different refractive index settings on AL measurements across various eye lengths.

Main Methods:

• Axial lengths of 48 cataract patients' eyes were measured using Argos with tissue-specific refractive indexes and IOL Master with a single refractive index.
• Eyes were categorized into short (<23.27 mm), intermediate (23.27-24.03 mm), and long (≥24.04 mm) AL subgroups.

Main Results:

• Argos measured significantly longer ALs than IOL Master in the short-AL group (P = 0.002).
• No significant difference was observed in the intermediate-AL group (P = 0.14).
• Argos measured significantly shorter ALs than IOL Master in the long-AL group (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Statistically significant differences in AL measurements exist between Argos and IOL Master, especially in short and long eyes.
• Despite statistical significance, the clinical significance of these differences for IOL calculations warrants further investigation.