Changes in Refraction and Anterior Chamber Depth According to the Type of the Intraocular Lenses

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes of refraction and anterior chamber depth in pseudophakia with the single-piece intraocular lenses (IOLs) and the three-piece IOLs after cataract surgery. METHODS: This single-center prospective study comprised of 34 eyes in 27 cataract patients who underwent cataract surgery. Eighteen eyes of seventeen patients received the single-piece IOLs, and sixteen eyes of fifteen patients received the three-piece IOLs. At one day, one week, and six months after cataract surgery, the refraction, corneal thickness, and anterior chamber depth of both groups were measured and analyzed. RESULTS: The refraction after cataract surgery was not significantly different from the preoperative predictive refraction in both IOL groups. The corneal thickness increased significantly as compared with preoperative value at operative day in both groups. However, after 1 week postoperatively, there was no statistically significant difference between the preoperative and the postoperative corneal thickness. The anterior chamber depth of the single-piece IOL group decreased constantly, and the decrease was statistically significant at 6 months postoperatively. In the three-piece group the anterior chamber depth was stationary and there was no statistically significant change from 1 day postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: There was remarkable difference of the changes of anterior chamber depth after cataract surgery between the single-piece and the three-piece IOL groups. In particular, the relative decrease of anterior chamber depth of the single-piece IOL group would affect the postoperative refractive errors.