Macular changes after cataract surgery

This article aims to highlight if the central macular retina suffers changes after cataract surgery, and to evaluate the eventually discovered changes regarding persistence.

This retrospective study, which lasted over three years (2021-2023), included patients who underwent cataract surgery performed by one surgeon. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging assessed macular changes and measured the central macular thickness.

A total of 240 eyes with diagnosed senile cataract were included in this study. The mean age was 66 years ± 4 years. Preoperative central foveal thickness was 210 ± 27.3 µm, the postoperative thickness on day 1 was 234.3 ± 40.2 µm, at 6 months 230.5 ± 35.2 µm, and the 1-year follow-up 229.2 ± 30.3 µm.

Macular changes after cataract surgery are easily confirmed by SD-OCT. The evaluation and monitoring of macular changes can be done by using central macular thickness assessment.

The study provides data from a Romanian pool of patients. The values correlated well with those from similar studies of SD-OCT examinations, but differences were still observed, as there were different devices for performing SD-OCTs.