Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine whether there is an increase of macular thickness and /or impairment of photoreceptor function in patients following uncomplicated cataract surgery.
Methods: :
As part of an ongoing prospective study, 4 patients who underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery were evaluated. For each patient macular thickness was measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT, Stratus 3) and macular photoreceptor function was evaluated by multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG Veris 5.0.5). Best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, slit-lamp examination and fundus examination as well as OCTs and mfERGs were performed preoperatively and at 2 weeks and 3 months postoperatively. The relation of the OCT findings and mfERG results was analyzed.
Results: :
None of the patients exhibited clinical evidence of CME, however, mean central retinal thickness was increased in one patient while remaining unchanged in three patients. Furthermore, in the patient who had increased central retinal thickness the photoreceptor responses in the fovea and parafovea were decreased. Among the patients with no change in macular thickness the postoperative mfERG responses were increased in one patient and remained unchanged in two patients.
Conclusions: :
One out of four patients undergoing uncomplicated cataract surgery developed subclinical CME that was evident as an increase in macular thickness on OCT. The morphological changes revealed by OCT were associated with mfERG impairment. These preliminary results suggest that the mfERG could be a useful tool to evaluate the photoreceptor function in the macula in patients who develop postoperative CME. Further study is underway to determine whether these results can be validated in a greater number of patients and over a longer period of time.
Keywords: macula/fovea • cataract • electroretinography: clinical