Evaluation of macular edema after cataract surgery in diabetic and non-diabetic patients

Objective To analyze the reasons for different incidence of macular edema (ME) after cataract surgery in diabetic and non-diabetic patients using optical coherence tomography (OCT).Methods In a prospective clinical study,175 eyes of 112 cataract patients were enrolled in the study.The study included 72 eyes from diabetic patients and 103 eyes from non-diabetic subjects.All patients underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery with phacoemulsification.Main outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central subfield mean thickness (CSMT).CSMT was examined using OCT within 4 weeks preoperatively and 1 month and 3 months postoperatively.Macular edema was defined as an increase of CSMT (Δ CSMT) on OCT ＞30％ from baseline.Results There were significantly differences in BCVA and CSMT between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects preoperatively,1 month and 3 months after cataract surgery.One month after surgery,incidence of ME of diabetic subjects (12.50％)(9/72) was significantly more (x2=10.455,P =0.001) than of non-diabetic subjects (0.97％)(1/103).Three months after surgery,incidence of ME of diabetic subjects (8.33％)(6/72) was significantly more (x2=5.982,P =0.014) than of non-diabetic subjects (0.97％)(1/103).The degree of diabetic retinopathy might be correlated to macular edema after surgery.Conclusions There is a higher incidence of ME in diabetic patients.The degree of diabetic retinopathy might be correlated to macular edema after surgery. Key words: Macular edema;  Cataract;  OCT;  Diabetes