Benefits Beyond Restoring Vision: A Longitudinal Study on Effect of Uncomplicated Phacoemulsification on Retinal Parameters

Introduction: Phacoemulsification can cause changes in retinal parameters through ultrasonic energy, fluidic mechanisms, and mechanical effects. This study was done to elucidate the association between surgical technique and retinal outcomes after uncomplicated cataract surgery. Methodology: Ninety patients who underwent uncomplicated phacoemulsification were studied for changes in retinal parameters at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA). The retinal parameters studied were central retinal thickness (CRT), central retinal thickness average (CRTA), central retinal volume (CRV), vessel perfusion central (VPC), vessel perfusion full (VPF), vessel density central (VDC), vessel density full (VDF), and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) log MAR. Results: There was a significant change in all retinal parameters studied 2 weeks after baseline. At 6 weeks and 3 months, all parameters except vascular density showed significant changes from the baseline and previous readings. Changes observed were CRT (259 to 278 µm) and CRTA (263 to 273 µm), CRV (9.4 to 9.9 mm3), VPC (12.1 to 16.2 %) and VPF (26.7% to 33.9 %), VDC (7.1 to 9.7 mm/mm2) and VDF (14.1 to 18.3 mm/mm2) and BCVA in log MAR (0.6 to 0.01). When correlating these retinal parameters with EPT, only VDF showed a significant relationship with EPT. Conclusion: This study showed that there were significant changes in retinal parameters after uncomplicated phacoemulsification, which were maintained at 3 months post-surgery. The persistence of retinal parameters at all follow-ups (up to three months) may indicate a change due to cataract surgery. This improved macular perfusion may be attributable to increased light stimulation after cataract surgery.