[OCT measurement of the impact of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy on foveal thickness]

Abstract

Introduction: Posterior capsular opacification is the commonest complication of cataract surgery. It is treated with Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy. However, after treatment, cases of cystoid macular edema have been reported. The purpose of this study was to measure the foveal thickness change after Nd:YAG capsulotomy using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in order to clarify the physiopathology of this edema.

Patients and methods: A prospective, single-center study was conducted on patients who underwent Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy between May 2008 and November 2009. All patients received the same drug protocol after Nd:YAG capsulotomy (acetazolamide, apraclonidine, and rimexolone). Demographic parameters (age, sex, and medical history), clinical features (visual acuity, intraocular pressure) before and after Nd:YAG laser, and laser complications were analyzed. Central foveal thickness was measured by OCT (Stratus OCT 3, Zeiss). Data were collected before Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after capsulotomy. The preoperative and postoperative thicknesses were compared. We used a Student t-test for statistical analysis.

Results: Thirty eyes of 26 patients were analyzed. The mean foveal thickness was 209 ± 26 μm before capsulotomy, 213 ± 23 μm, 204 ± 19 μm, 213 ± 23 μm 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months, respectively, after capsulotomy. The foveal thickness did not significantly change during the first 3 months following laser treatment. No complications occurred.

Discussion and conclusion: Macular cystoid edema was a classical complication after Nd:YAG capsulotomy. However, there was no significant increase of macular thickness shortly after Nd:YAG capsulotomy in our study.