Retinal thickness changes due to phacoemulsification in patients with diabetes

Phacoemulsification cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation can lead to increased foveal thickness in the postoperative period, which is particularly prevalent in patients with diabetes. The aim of this case series was to compare measurements of the foveal thickness at the beginning and the end of cataract surgery with an intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) and a stand-alone OCT device.

This case series included patients with diabetes who did not have diabetic macular edema. The OCT measurements were performed with a stand-alone OCT device before and after cataract surgery, and with an iOCT device at the beginning and end of surgery. Changes in foveal thickness were evaluated by two readers and compared between devices.

Of the 48 patients recruited, 32 patients could be analyzed. The results showed there were no significant differences in foveal thickness between the start and end of surgery (iOCT) or between pre- and postsurgical measurements (stand-alone OCT) among patients without diabetic macular edema.

Intraoperative OCT measurements during cataract surgery are clinically feasible without the use of endo-illumination via a pars plana port. There was no significant increase in foveal thickness between the start and end of surgery in patients without diabetic macular edema.