Astigmatic Changes According to Incision Length After Sutureless Cataract Surgery

Park, Chang Yeul; Kim, Jae Hong; Lyu, Kwang Hyun

Abstract

We analyzed an astigmatism and an uncorrected visual acuity in 235 eyes for 6 months following sutureless cataract surgery(167 eyes) with 5 mm(Group 1), 6 mm(Group 2), and 7 mm(Group 3) incision lengths at 2.5 mm posteriorly from the corneoscleral limbus, and shoelace sutured cataract surgery(68 eyes) with 7 mm(Group 4) incision length at 1 mm posteriorly from the corneoscleral limbus performed by one surgeon. In three groups of sutureless cataract surgery, the surgically induced corneal astigmatisms were stable after one month postoperatively, but decreasing the length of incision substantially reduced the astigmatic changes(p>0.05), the astigmatic swings(p>0.05) and the astigmatic ranges. In comparison to sutured cataract surgery with 7 mm incision length, sutureless cataract surgery with same incision length reduced the astigmatic changes(p<0.01), reduced the astigmatic swings(p<0.01) and narrowed the astigmatic ranges and also was stabilized earlier. The shorter the length of incision in sutureless cataract surgery, the higher the incidence of an uncorrected visual acuities of 20/40 or better(p>0.05) was noted. In comparison to sutured catarct surgery with 7 mm incision length, suture less cataract surgery with same incision length had higher incidence of an uncorrected visual acuities of 20/40 or better(p<0.01). The tesults indicate that smaller incision length in sutureless cataract surgery was associated with a lower surgically induced astigmatism(p>0.05) and a better uncorrected visual acuity(p>0.05). And sutureless cataract surgery rather than sutured cataract surgery was associated with a lower surgically induced astigmatism(p<0.01), an earlier stability, and a better uncorrected visual acuity(p<0.01).