title: Older age as risk factor for deviation from emmetropia in pseudophakia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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 (< or = 1 ED in 77% of cases, < or = 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.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Parma, Italy. nuzzi@unipr.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nuzzi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cantù
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: De Giovanni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000150:complications*; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity