A comparative study of macular thickness measurements using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography before and after cataract surgery in patients with diabetes mellitus and their age matched controls

Abstract

Patients with diabetes mellitus who undergo cataract surgery can be prone for macular edema post-operatively.Aimof this study wasto compare macular thickness in diabetics and non-diabetics, pre and post cataract surgery using SD-OCT. A Cohort study of 50 diabetic and 50 non-diabetic cataract patients who presented to ophthalmology out patient department, aged 50–70 years underwent macular thickness assessment using SD–OCT pre and post cataract surgery.The macular thickness showed a steady increase with time in non-diabetics and diabetics seen at baseline, 1 week post operative and 6 weeks post op. But the mean difference in diabetics was higher with a statistical significance(p<0.05).OCT is a noninvasive investigation which can differentiate between diabetic macular edema and postoperative cystoid macular edema. Preoperative assessment of macular thickness will be useful in the management of macular edema in both conditions, thus improving visual prognosis post cataract surgery.