Short-Term Changes in Retinal Vasculature and Layer Thickness after Phacoemulsification Surgery

Purpose: To evaluate the short-term influence of uncomplicated phacoemulsification on fundus structure and vasculature change.Methods: A total of 51 eyes from 51 patients with mild-to-moderate cataracts were included. Retinal vessel density, perfusion density, and layer thickness in both macular and peripapillary areas were scanned by OCT at baseline and at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after cataract surgery. Cumulative dissipated energy (CDE), U/S total time (USTT) and total aspiration time (TAT) were recorded as parameters of surgical injury to analyze the surgical influence on fundus change.Results: There was a significant increase up in retinal vasculature parameters in both macular and optic nerve area after the surgery. The retinal layer thickness had pronounced increase from 1 week after the surgery (all p < .05, repeated-measures analysis of variance). Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness increased more rapidly than other layers. There was a positive correlation between CDE and vasculature changes from 1 week to 1 month (Vessel density in macular to CDE: standardized β = 0.448, p = .005; Perfusion density in peripapillary area to CDE: standardized β = 0.382, p = .015).Conclusions: Retinal vasculature and layer thickness increased in short-term follow-up after cataract surgery. Whether these changes would persist over a longer period needs to be verified.