Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate the modification of vitreous-retinal interface and epiretinal membrane in myopic and non-myopic eyes after phacoemulsification
Methods: :
Tirthy eyes with axial length (AXL)> 27 mm (group A) and thirty eyes with AXL<24 mm (group B) (lens nucleus grade 2 or higher) underwent phacoemulsification. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and after 3 and 6 months, checking for best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), axial length, anatomical macular and vitreous-retinal interface abnormalities by ecography and OCT SLO. Surgical variables (US time, US power, I/A time) were evaluated. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the parameters
Results: :
In group A only 3/12 (25%) myopic patients, who did not present epiretinal membrane pre-operatively, developed a cellophane maculopathy. Ten out of eighteen (54%) myopic patients, who suffered from epiretinal membrane pre-operatively, showed an anatomical worsening after six months. Macular anatomical changes were not influenced by surgical parameters of phacoemulsification, both in patients presenting preoperatively alterations of interface (21/30, 57%) and those who do not (9/30, 43%) (p=0.9). There was no significant difference between AXL of those patients who presented an epiretinal membrane (70%) and those who did not develop it after surgery (30%) (p=0.4). Patients of group B did not show epiretinal membrane and/or anatomical macular changes either before than after cataract surgery
Conclusions: :
These results suggest that phacoemulsification may have a little role in promoting the development of epiretinal membrane, while it may be decisive in the progression of this pathology
Keywords: cataract • myopia • vitreous