Relation of postoperative refraction and anterior chamber depth changes after uneventful phacoemulsification

Background Following cataract surgery, the focus changed from relieving blindness to achieving precise refractive correction and rapid recovery. A lot of factors influence the visual outcome. The variance in postoperative anterior chamber depth (ACD) is one of the essential factors. Aim To record the differences in postoperative ACD measurements and its effects on postoperative refraction in individuals who had uneventful cataract surgery at Suez General Hospital. Patіents and methods Fifty eyes from fifty patients who underwent uneventful phacoemulsification by the same surgeon. Using the ocular biometer The IOLMaster 500 from ZEISS, (ACD) were assessed pre and postsurgery, 1 and 3 months after the procedure. The postoperative spherical equivalent were recorded. Results Mean age was (58.7±7.5) years. a highly significant difference in ACD values between preoperative and 1 and 3 months post-surgery (P<0.0001). While the ACD difference between 1 and 3 months postsurgery was insignificant (P=0.332). Fourteen (28%) of the eyes had a myopic spherical refractive error, 24 (48%) had a hyperopic refractive error, and 12 (24%) had no refractive error. An inverse association (r=–0.243, P=0.039) between the myopic sphere refractive errors and the variation in ACD. Conclusіon A high incidence of postoperative hyperopic shift spherical errors was linked to more extensive preoperative ACD measurements associated with less ACD deepening. While a more significant incidence of postoperative myopic shift spherical errors was linked to a small preoperative ACD with a greater degree of postoperative ACD deepening; therefore, postoperative ACD changes have a significant impact on postoperative refraction.