Assessment of anterior capsule opacification: photographic technique and quantification.
OBJECTIVE
To develop and evaluate a standardized slitlamp photographic technique to document and quantify anterior capsule opacification (ACO) in the pseudophakic eye.


METHODS
University of Vienna, Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology, Vienna, Austria.


METHODS
In this prospective study, slitlamp photographs were taken in 29 eyes of 19 patients with ACO of varying degrees and intraocular lenses of different materials. Digital slitlamp photographs were taken by 2 examiners using a standardized protocol. The intensity of anterior fibrosis was evaluated using subjective grading by 2 masked examiners and by image analysis.


RESULTS
A standardized protocol was developed for documentation of ACO. The intraexaminer (or short-term) reproducibility (r = 0.96, P < .01) and interexaminer reproducibility (r = 0.93, P < .01) were excellent. The results of image analysis used to objectively quantify ACO correlated with the subjective grading (r = 0.95, P < .01).


CONCLUSIONS
This standardized technique of slitlamp photography and image analysis provided reproducible documentation and can therefore serve as a basis for the quantification of ACO.
Sacu
Stefan
S
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Findl
Oliver
O
Menapace
Rupert
R
Georgopoulos
Michael
M
Buehl
Wolf
W
Rainer
Georg
G
D000867:Anterior Chamber; D002386:Cataract / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007903:Lens Capsule, Crystalline / Q000473:pathology*; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D007910:Lenses, Intraocular; D015588:Observer Variation; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D010781:Photography / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000150:complications; D015203:Reproducibility of Results