Abstract
Purpose: :
To compare Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) measurements of central corneal power, curvature, and thickness in human corneas pre- and post-cataract surgery.
Methods: :
This is an open-label, prospective study. Qualifying subjects underwent 3 scans with the RTVue CAM OCT (Optovue, Fremont, CA) per study eye pre- and post-operatively. The post-operatives scans were obtained at least one month post the cataract surgery. 39 eyes of 29 patients were enrolled.
Results: :
Thirty-nine (39) eyes of 29 subjects were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the study group is 70.4 with a standard deviation of 9.3. The within-visit measurement repeatability (standard deviation) is 0.16D for central corneal power, 0.026mm for anterior corneal curvature, 0.041mm for posterior corneal curvature, and 1.9µm for central corneal thickness. The post- and pre-operative difference (mean ± standard deviation) is -0.01D ±0.46D for central corneal power, 0.002mm ± 0.079mm for anterior central corneal curvature, and 1.9µm ± 11.1µm for central corneal thickness.
Conclusions: :
The corneal power, curvature, and thickness measurements by OCT are repeatable within visit. The mean difference for the study group is essentially zero between pre- and post-operative visits for central corneal power and curvature, and minimal for thickness, as measured by OCT. However, some eyes exhibited non-negligible differences in measurements between pre- and post-operative visits, which could be caused by difference in pupil alignment, fixation, and actual change in cornea, etc. between visits. Further investigation needed.
Keywords: cornea: clinical science • imaging/image analysis: clinical • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: outcomes/complications