Evaluation Of Microvascular Changes In The Macula After Uneventful Phacoemulsification Surgery Using Optical Coherence Tomography

To evaluate whether there are microvascular changes in the macula after uneventful phacoemulsification surgery under topical anaesthesia using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Tertiary care centre.

In this longitudinal, observational study, OCTA scans of 3 mm × 3 mm macula were obtained in 53 eyes to measure the superficial capillary perfusion (SCP) vessel density, perfusion density and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, perimeter and circularity, and central subfield thickness (CST). Measurements were recorded at the pre-operative visit and at 1-week and 1-month follow ups following phacoemulsification surgery under topical anaesthesia.

There was a statistically significant increase in vessel density (mm/mm²) in the SCP at post-operative 1-week (17.604 ± 3.3340) and post-operative 1-month (18.725 ± 2.8280) follow ups compared with the pre-operative visit (16.017 ± 3.6574) [P < 0.001]. Similarly, a statistically significant increase was observed in perfusion density (mm/mm²) in the SCP at post-operative 1-week (33.079 ± 4.8540) and post-operative 1-month (34.585 ± 4.1916) follow ups as compared with the pre-operative visit (30.285 ± 5.6133) [P < 0.001]. However, no significant changes were found in the FAZ and CST parameters post-operatively.

A statistically significant increase in vessel density and perfusion density in the SCP of the macula was observed after uneventful phacoemulsification surgery under topical anaesthesia at post-operative 1-week and 1-month follow-up visits. However, there were no statistically significant changes in the FAZ and CST parameters following phacoemulsification. These findings improve our understanding of the impact of phacoemulsification surgery on retinal microvasculature and contribute to the existing body of knowledge on the subject.