Aim: To assess the early structural changes at clear corneal cataract incision sites and surgical outcomes using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).
Methods: We evaluated 80 eyes of 59 patients who underwent phacoemulsification with a clear corneal incision. All incisions were evaluated 1wk, 1, and 3mo postoperatively using AS-OCT and analyzed regarding angle, length of the incision, maximal corneal thickness at the incision, and if present, corneal endothelial gap length and incision gap area. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether or not an endothelial gap was present at 1wk postoperatively (endothelial gap, group 1; no endothelial gap, group 2). We analyzed the difference in patient and surgical factors between the two groups, and compared the surgical outcome and the refractive outcome.
Results: An endothelial gap was observed in 56 (70.0%) of 80 eyes at 1wk postoperatively but not at 3mo postoperatively. The mean patient age was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2. The longer the length of the corneal incision and the steeper the incision angle, the greater the length and area of the endothelial gap. In group 1, the mean change in mean keratometry of the anterior cornea was significantly greater than in group 2, and the spherical equivalent (SE) and mean numerical error indicated significant myopic changes at 1wk postoperatively.
Conclusion: The risk of an endothelial gap increases with patient age and a long corneal incision and steep incision angle. The presence of an endothelial gap after surgery may affect the early postoperative corneal curvature and SE.
Keywords: anterior segment optical coherence tomography; corneal curvature; corneal endothelial gap; corneal incision structure; phacoemulsification.