Optical coherence tomography based analysis of changes in macula in diabetes after phacoemulsification surgery

Purpose: To assess quantitative changes of the macula after cataract surgery using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in diabetic eyes and to estimate the incidence of development of macular edema (ME) in type II diabetic eyes. Materials and Methods: In this prospective observational case control study, 100 eyes out of which 50 are of type II diabetic patients and 50 are non-diabetic patients who underwent phacoemulsification surgery with acrylic foldable IOL lens implantation were evaluated at post op day 1, day 7, 1 month and 3 months post operatively. Macular thickness as described in early treatment of diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) with OCT was evaluated in 9 zones. 4 patients developed DME at 1 month after surgery and were withdrawn from further analysis. Result: The mean central foveal thickness of the diabetic group preoperatively was 231.06±38.785µ. The increase in central foveal thickness was statistically significant at 1 month postoperatively (p=0.004). The mean perifoveal thickness changes in the inferior and temporal quadrants was also statistically significant at 1 month postoperatively (p=0.002). However, the overall change in macular thickness was found to be insignificant at 3 months postoperatively. The incidence of diabetic macular edema was found to be 8%. Conclusion: We found that after uncomplicated phacoemulsification, changes in macular thickness as measured by OCT was without any significance. Keywords: Cataract, Diabetes, Macular edema, OCT.