Older Age as Risk Factor for Deviation from Emmetropia in Pseudophakia

Abstract

Purpose

To find risk factors for deviation from emmetropia after cataract surgery in clinical practice.

Methods

We evaluated the refractive outcome in 106 patients who had underone phacoemulsification and in-the-bag IOL placement 115 ± 10 days after surgery. Postoperative optical correction and refractive error (diopters of spherical equivalent - ED) were related to age and sex, pre-operative axial length and keratometric diopter power, and operative incision technique.

Results

Emmetropia was achieved in 15% of cases; 65% of eyes needed a myopic correction, averaging =0.46±0.91 ED. The refractive error was 0.74 ± 0.61 ED (≤1 ED in 77% of cases, ≤ 2 ED in 97%). Both optical correction and refractive error were correlated to older age at the time of surgery (p=0.002 and p=0.001, respectively). Astigmatism appeared greater in clear-cornea incision than in limbar incision cases (p=0.05).

Conclusions

The higher refractive error in patients aged over 73 years suggests that age may be a risk factor for deviation from emmetropia after cataract surgery.