Senile Cataract Formation Does Not Affect Crystalline Lens Thickness.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate characterization of lens thickness (LT) is crucial for understanding lens aging and improving intraocular lens (IOL) power calculations.
• Senile cataracts, a common age-related condition, may influence ocular biometric parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of senile cataract formation on LT, anterior (ACS) and posterior (PCS) cortex space, and nuclear thickness (NT).
• To control for potential confounding factors including sex, age, and axial length in the analysis.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 603 volunteers (aged 59.1 ± 18.8 years) was conducted.
• Eyes were classified using the Lens Opacification Classification System (LOCS)-III for cataract presence and type (cortical, nuclear, posterior subcapsular).
• Optical biometry measured LT, ACS, NT, and PCS, with propensity score matching used to control for covariates.

Main Results:

• Unmatched cataractous eyes showed significantly higher LT, ACS, NT, and PCS compared to non-cataractous eyes.
• After propensity score matching for sex, age, and axial length, no significant differences were found in LT, ACS, NT, or PCS between cataractous and non-cataractous groups.
• Specifically, matched LT (4.34 vs. 4.33 mm, p=0.94), ACS (0.72 vs. 0.76 mm, p=0.08), NT (3.31 vs. 3.30 mm, p=0.24), and PCS (0.42 vs. 0.43 mm, p=0.79) showed no significant variation.

Conclusions:

• The presence of senile cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular cataracts does not independently affect lens thickness (LT), anterior (ACS) and posterior (PCS) cortex space, or nuclear thickness (NT).
• Controlling for confounding factors such as sex, age, and axial length is essential when analyzing LT and its components.