Abstract
Purpose::
To study the architecture of clear corneal incisions for phacoemulsification cataract surgery using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Methods::
A retrospective case study of twenty patients one month post-operative from cataract surgery performed by two experienced surgeons. The surgeries were conducted using temporal clear corneal single-plane incisions made with a 3mm metal keratome; five of the twenty eyes required sutures for wound closure. The patients received three OCT scans of the anterior segment of the eye using a prototype high-speed anterior segment OCT machine. The length of the corneal incision, thickness of the cornea, and distance between the external wound edge and the scleral spur were measured using a computer caliper tool. The angle of the incision relative to the corneal surface was then calculated.
Results::
The length of the corneal incision was 1.6±0.3mm. The corneal thickness at the incision was 0.76±0.07mm, and the distance between the incision and the scleral spur was 1.5±0.2mm. The average angle of the incision was 27±5o. The measurements were repeatable to within 0.011mm pooled standard deviation for the corneal thickness, 0.053mm for the incision length, and 0.042mm for the position of the incision. There was no statistically significant difference in any of the parameters between eyes deemed necessary to require a suture and those not (p=0.39).
Conclusions::
OCT provides an excellent way to evaluate corneal incisions in cataract surgery post-operatively. Measurements of wound dimensions using OCT are highly repeatable between different images of the same eye.
Keywords: cataract • imaging/image analysis: clinical • anterior segment