A Study of Induced Corneal Cylinder in Post Cataract Patient Of Marist Cottage Hospital

Cataract surgery is one of the most common ophthalmic procedures and significantly improves visual acuity. However, it can alter corneal curvature, leading to surgically induced astigmatism (SIA), which may affect uncorrected post-operative vision. This study assessed the magnitude of induced corneal cylinder and its relationship with age and sex among cataract patients at Marist Cottage Hospital, Uturu, Isuikwuato LGA, Abia State. 190 eyes of patients who underwent small incision cataract surgery between March 2024 and April 2025. Pre- and post-operative keratometry readings (K1 and K2) were obtained using an autorefractor-keratometer. Induced corneal cylinder was calculated from astigmatic differences. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Age and sex variations were evaluated, and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.The overall mean pre-operative K1 and K2 were 43.17 ± 1.72 D and 43.24 ± 1.54 D, increasing slightly post-operatively to 43.41 ± 1.67 D and 43.36 ± 1.45 D, respectively. The mean induced cylinder was 0.43 ± 0.73 D. Patients aged 40–50 years had the highest induced astigmatism (0.72 ± 0.99 D), while those over 90 had the lowest (0.02 ± 0.03 D), though age differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.72). Male patients showed significantly higher induced astigmatism (0.50 ± 0.81 D) than females (0.34 ± 0.60 D) with a p-value of 0.001.Small incision cataract surgery at Marist Cottage Hospital resulted in minimal induced corneal astigmatism. While age showed no significant impact, sex had a statistically significant effect. These findings support surgical planning and better visual outcomes for patients