Cataract surgery; Axial length variation

ABSTRACT

eajaved@hotmail.com. To describe the variation of axial length in patients undergoing cataract surgery. A retrospective case series. At Opthalmological Department, Allied Hospital, PMC, Faisalabad from May 2006 to June 2007. The axial length of 566 patients who were admitted for cataract surgery were measured with A. scan [Axis II, Quantel]. The eleven patients with age below 15 years and above 90 years and with history of trauma, corneal scarring were excluded. So there were 555 patients for this study. A careful history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, trauma, previous history of surgery, glaucoma and uveitis was taken, and slit lamp examination, tonometry, pupillary reactions, perception and projection of light was done. The data collected was entered in specially designed Performa. An average of ten readings of axial lengths with A-Scan for each patient was taken. Out of 555 patients, there were 350 male [63.06%] and 205 female [36.94%] patients. There were 250[45.05%] patients having age between 46 to 60 years. There were 27[4.86%] patients having age between 15 to 30 years and the same number 27[4.86%] of patients was seem having age between 76 to 90 years. The most of the patients 273[49.18%] had axial length between 23 mm to 25 mm. There were only 3 patients with axial length between 29.01 to 31 mm. There were a significant number of patients, 230[41.45%] having axial length between 21.01 to 23mm. The biometry depends upon axial length, kratometry and anterior chamber depth. Most of the formulae supposed for IOL calculations depend upon only two factors, the axial length and the keratometry. In our community, short and long eyes are very rare and so SRK-T formula for IOL calculations provides satisfactory postoperative results. The axial length carries more importance as its variation causes a gross change in IOL power and postoperative refractive errors