title: Prospective study of foveal thickness alterations after cataract surgery assessed by optical coherence tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the alterations of mean foveal thickness (MFT) and visual acuity (VA) outcomes after uncomplicated cataract surgery in different groups of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included eyes of consecutive patients who underwent cataract surgery between November 2007 and June 2009. The patients included in the study were divided into 4 groups, as follows: history-free patients, patients with diabetes mellitus without macular involvement at baseline, patients with glaucoma, and patients with epiretinal membrane (ERM). Preoperatively and at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively, patients were evaluated for MFT by optical coherence tomography at the central 1-mm macular zone and for logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best spectacle-corrected VA (BSCVA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 202 eyes were included in the study. MFT values demonstrated a statistically significant increase (p < 0.01) after cataract surgery in all groups at the first and third postoperative month. The history-free (p = 0.09) and glaucoma (p = 0.19) groups did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in MFT values between the preoperative and 6-month measurements. MFT values 6 months after cataract surgery in the diabetes and ERM groups remained significantly higher (p < 0.01). Despite these findings, VA increased significantly (p < 0.01) in all groups at all postoperative follow-ups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MFT values increased significantly in all groups at the first and third months after cataract surgery. At 6 months, MFT values returned to preoperative levels in the history-free and glaucoma patients, while they remained significantly higher in the diabetic and ERM patients. Despite these macular alterations, BSCVA improved significantly after cataract surgery in all groups at all postoperative follow-ups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Miltiadis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsilimbaris
authors.forename: Vasilios F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Diakonis
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kymionis
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Eleftheriadou
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fragkiskou
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moschandreas
authors.forename: Beatrice E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Frueh
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: Aristophanis I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Pallikaris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000209:etiology; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000473:pathology*; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology