Comparison of the Refractive Results Measured by Ultrasound and Partial Coherence Interferometers

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To compare ocular biometry measured by applanation ultrasonography and IOL Master(R), and evaluate the accuracies of the refractive outcome after cataract surgery. METHODS: The biometries of 76 cataractous eyes were measured using ultrasonography and IOL Master(R). The SRK-T formula was employed to predict the patient's implanted IOL power. Two months after cataract surgery, the refractive outcome was determined, and results from the 2 different biometry methods were compared. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in axial length (AXL) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) between ultrasonography and IOL Master(R) (p = 0.501). When using ultrasonography, the mean absolute error (MAE) of the ultrasonography and IOL Master(R) was 0.53 +/- 0.30 diopter (D), 0.55 +/- 0.41 D, respectively. The difference between the 2 biometry methods was not statistically significant (p = 0.110). CONCLUSIONS: Although the difference was not statistically significant, AXL measured by IOL Master(R) was longer and ACD measured by IOL Master(R) was deeper than when measured by A-scan. This difference was more pronounced in patients with a short AXL. The accuracy of IOL power calculation was similar between the 2 devices.