How severe are ocular surface abnormalities 3 months following cataract surgery? An observational study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to detect the pattern of ocular surface changes seen 3 months after undergoing phacoemulsification or manual small-incision cataract surgery (SICS) and match them with age-matched normal individuals. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in the ophthalmology outpatient department (OPD) in a tertiary care center. Consecutive patients coming to OPD were grouped into three study groups – Group 1 included 25 patients who had undergone manual SICS, Group 2 included patients who had undergone clear corneal phacoemulsification surgery, and Group 3 included age-matched controls. Patients with ocular and systemic diseases were excluded. All the patients underwent Schirmer’s test, tear film breakup time, ocular surface staining, and ocular surface disease index score. One-way analysis of variance test was used for the comparison of data, and P = 0.05 or less was considered to indicate a significant difference. Results: Significant dry eye changes after 3 months of cataract surgery were present in SICS and Phacoemulsification groups as compared to age-matched normals (p-value < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between SICS and PHACOEMULSIFICATION surgery groups in the incidence of dry eye incidence. Conclusion: Dry eye symptoms are significant following cataract surgery irrespective of the type of surgery either SICS or phacoemulsification.