title: Evaluation of macular thickness after uncomplicated cataract surgery using optical coherence tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate central macular thickness (CMT) after cataract surgery in selected groups of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised 4 groups-patients with epiretinal membrane, patients with high myopia, patients with diabetes without retinopathy, and healthy subjects-who underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. Central macular thickness was measured with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) using the 3D macular cube scan. The OCT evaluation was performed preoperatively and 1, 6, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 360 days after surgery. Visual acuity was measured preoperatively and after 6 and 360 days after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 258 patients, 164 women and 94 men, with a mean age of 74 (SD 7.6) years. A statistically significant increase in CMT was observed from day 30 in patients with epiretinal membrane (p = 0.010) and diabetic patients (p = 0.026), reaching its maximum thickness at day 60 (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001), while it was observed only on day 360 in healthy subjects (p = 0.018) and those with high myopia (p = 0.003). The correlation between CMT and visual acuity was statistically significant only in the diabetic group (r = 0.61, p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following cataract surgery, CMT changes according to characteristic patterns in the different groups studied. These changes did not prevent an optimal recovery of visual function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Specialistic Surgical Sciences, Eye Clinic, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 85, Florence, Italy. fabrizio.giansanti@unifi.it
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giansanti
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bitossi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giacomelli
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Virgili
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pieretti
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giuntoli
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abbruzzese
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Menchini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000473:pathology; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000473:pathology; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods; D014792:Visual Acuity