Abstract
Purpose
To estimate the incidence of central macular edema (CME) following cataract surgery and to correlate the central macular thickness (CMT) to the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA).
Methods
This cohort study in 2018-2019 included cataract grades I and II. They were operated by phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. CMT was measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomogram (OCT) before and for three months at one-month intervals after surgery. The change in BCVA and CMT were correlated at three months after surgery. Incidence of CME (more than two SD of pre-surgery CMT) was calculated.
Results
The mean CMT for 138 eyes operated for cataracts measured before and at one, two, and three months after uneventful surgery was 213 +/- 24.9, 222.7 +/- 25.5, 217.8 +/- 34.8, and 215 +/- 28.3 mu, respectively. The median BCVA at three follow-ups was 0.2 (interquartile range [IQR] 0.1; 0.2), 0.1 (IQR 0.0; 0.1), and 0.0 ( 0.0; 0.03), respectively. The incidence of CME at one and three months was 18% and 4.3%, respectively. The CMT and VA (LogMAR) one month after cataract surgery were significantly correlated (r = 0.4, Pearson P < 0.001). The visual improvement between one and two months post-surgery was not significantly correlated with CMT decline (r = 0.06, Pearson P = 0.5). The BCVA at one, two, and three months was 0.0 LogMAR in 28 (20.3%), 52 (37.7%), and 104 (75.4%) eyes, respectively. Linear regression model, age and diabetes are the risk factors at one month. At two and three months, no significant risk factors were found.
Conclusion
CME post-cataract surgery seems to be transient. CMT changes correlate with best-corrected vision changes and seem to be affected by age and presence of diabetes in the 1st month after surgery.