Change in Anterior and Posterior Curvature After Cataract Surgery.

Objective: To analyze the change in anterior and posterior corneal curvature after cataract surgery using a Placido-dual rotating Scheimpflug device.

Methods: In a prospective cross-sectional study, corneal curvature was measured using the Galilei G4 device (Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems, Port, Switzerland) preoperatively and 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months after cataract surgery with a temporal limbal self-sealing 2.2-mm incision. The surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) was determined on the anterior and posterior surfaces.

Results: Fifty-nine patients (68 eyes) were assessed. Based on the anterior corneal surface, 16 (23.5%) eyes had a vertically steep meridian (with-the-rule [WTR] astigmatism), 32 (47.1%) had a horizontally steep meridian (against-the-rule [ATR] astigmatism), and 20 (29.4%) had oblique astigmatism. Based on the posterior corneal surface, 2 (2.9%) eyes had a horizontally steep meridian (ATR astigmatism), 62 (91.2%) had a vertically steep meridian (WTR astigmatism), and 4 (5.9%) had oblique astigmatism. SIA of the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces was 0.61 ± 0.33 and 0.20 ± 0.17 diopters (D), respectively. However, there was no significant difference between the preoperative and the 6-month postoperative data in the Jackson coefficient orthogonal coordinate system for the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces. SIA of WTR astigmatism of the posterior cornea was 0.19 ± 0.16 D at 6 months. Sixty-one of 62 eyes with WTR astigmatism in the posterior corneal surface still showed WTR astigmatism after cataract surgery.

Conclusions: The tendency of SIA of the posterior cornea may not be uniform, but type of posterior corneal astigmatism did not change in most cases after the 2.2-mm temporal limbal incision cataract surgery. [J Refract Surg. 2016;32(11):754-759.].