Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgery in the United States. The most common cause of suboptimal visual acuity outcome in these patients is due to retinal disease, some of which may have been preexistent. The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of optical coherence tomography data in screening for retinal pathology in nondiabetic and diabetic patients. Methods: Prospective study of 75 patients who were randomly enrolled at a tertiary care center – the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Miami. They were stratified as non–diabetics (58 patients) and diabetics (17 patients). They underwent preoperative evaluation with optical coherence tomography to assess for retinal pathology. Results: In the non–diabetic patient group, 6 patients (10.3%) had retinal pathology not identified by clinical examination (1 epiretinal membrane, 2 patients with macular edema, and 1 patient with a macular hole, 2 patients with RPE detachment). In the diabetic patient group, 4 patients (23.5%) had retinal pathology (4 patients with macular edema). Conclusions: Optical coherence tomography is a valuable technique in retinal evaluation of prospective cataract surgery patients. Identification of preexisting retinal pathology may allow the cataract surgeon to temper patients' visual acuity expectations after surgery and provide timely care for retinal problems.
Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • cataract • retina