Changes in the anterior segment after cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation using ultrasonic biomicroscopy

Abstract

ObjectiveTo study changes in the anterior segment after cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation by means of ultrasonic biomicroscopy.BackgroundCataract surgery is the only treatment for cataract with high success rate in restoring sight. Ultrasonic biomicroscopy is a noninvasive modality that allows for the real-time visualization of anterior-segment tissues with microscopic resolution and provides information about the size and the nature of the lesion, permitting a presumptive diagnosis.Patients and methodsA prospective nonrandomized and comparative study was conducted on 20 eyes of 20 patients aged 43–72 years who attended the outpatient clinic of Menoufia University Hospital and Zagazig University Hospital in the period from August 2020 to January 2021. Full history, routine, and a thorough ophthalmic examination were done. All surgeries were performed under local anesthesia with or without sedation.ResultsA total of 20 patients underwent phacoemulsification included in our study, most of them aged from 60 to 69 years old, 11 (55%) males and nine (45%) females. The mean increase in anterior-chamber depth is 0.79 mm, 28.11% deeper than before surgery. There is a statistically significant difference between pre and post according to anterior-chamber angle with P value less than 0.001. The mean increase in anterior-chamber angle is 8.61°, which represents 27.67% increase of preoperative measurement. There is a high statistically significant difference between pre and post according to angle-opening distance 500 μm with P value less than 0.001. The mean increase in angle-opening distance was 0.09 mm, significantly increasing to 21.42% of preoperative value.ConclusionsThere are some positional changes in the anterior-segment structures after cataract surgery. The quantitative changes in anterior-chamber depth and angle may be determined by ultrasound biomicroscopy. The anterior chamber deepens and its angle widens that significantly increased after cataract surgery. Ultrasound biomicroscopy provides quantitative values of angle parameters and maybe of clinical significance in eyes with narrow angle. Numerical values that we detected in our study could provide an anatomical reference for further studies. Based on our findings, we recommend for further studies on larger sample size and on a large geographical scale to emphasize our conclusion.