The Effect of Preoperative Aqueous Total Antioxidant Capacity on the Postoperative Complications of Cataract Surgery

This study aimed to review the influence of different total antioxidant capacity (TAC) on the incidence of postoperative complications of cataract surgery.

A prospective, non-randomized controlled trial was conducted, and individuals who received cataract surgery were enrolled. These individuals were then categorized into groups according to the mean TAC levels of the whole population, resulting in 25 eyes assigned to the high-TAC group and 30 eyes to the low-TAC group. The main outcomes were postoperative superficial keratitis, anterior chamber (AC) inflammation, corneal edema, and ocular hypertension. The generalized linear mixed model was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the main outcomes between groups.

One day postoperatively, the uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) was significantly better in the high-TAC group (p=0.002), and the high-TAC group also had a higher sphere power and lower cylinder power (both p<0.05). Regarding postoperative conditions, the incidence of corneal edema (p=0.007) and ocular hypertension (p=0.028) were significantly lower in the high-TAC group. There was no preoperative parameter, which was associated with corneal edema or ocular hypertension in the high-TAC group (all p>0.05). Dense cataract and high axial length (AXL) were correlated with a higher risk of postoperative corneal edema in the low-TAC group (both p<0.05), and dense cataract was associated with higher postoperative ocular hypertension rate in the low-TAC group (p=0.033).

A low TAC status is associated with a higher incidence of postoperative corneal edema and ocular hypertension.