Topography changes and endothelial cell loss after temporal 1.8 mm coaxial microincision cataract surgery (MICS)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. The purpose of this paper was to determine surgically-induced changes both in corneal topographic parameters and in endothelial cell loss after coaxial microincision cataract surgery (MICS) through temporal 1.8 mm incision.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. Evaluation was performed in forty eyes of thirty patients who underwent cataract sur­gery. Topographic parameters including corneal astigmatism, surface regularity index (SRI), and surface asymmetry index (SAI) were estimated preoperatively and at one week, four weeks, and eight weeks after surgery. A specular microscope was also used for the measurement of the corneal endothelial density (cells/mm²). The surgically-induced astigmatism (SIA) was calculated by means of vector analysis using Alpins’ method.

RESULTS. Eight weeks after surgery the final mean value of SIA was 0.42 D and the differences in topographic parameters such as corneal astigmatism, SRI, and SAI were not statistically significant. Also, the decrease in endothelial cell density eight weeks after surgery was 6.02%.

CONCLUSIONS. The changes in SIA and topographic parameters after temporal coaxial 1.8 mm MICS are minimal throughout an eight-week follow up period.