Optical coherence tomography assessment of angle anatomy changes after cataract surgery

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in anterior chamber (AC) morphology induced by cataract extraction using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT). DESIGN: Prospective comparative observational case series. METHODS: Thirty-two eyes of 32 patients underwent OCT imaging of the angle before and after cataract surgery. Anterior chamber depth (ACD) angle opening distance at 500 mu m (AOD(500)) and trabecular-iris space at 500 mu m (TISA(500)) were measured pre- and post-operatively. Preoperative lens thickness (LT) and lens position (LP) were calculated. RESULTS: ACD, AOD(500), and TISA(500) increased significantly after cataract extraction (P <.001). Preoperatively, ACD and LT highly correlated (P = .0083) as did ACD and TISA(500) (P = .0001). TISA(500) correlated with LP (P = .0001) but not with LT (P = .74). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in angle morphology after cataract surgery can be imaged and objectively quantified by anterior segment OCT. Lens position may have a greater influence on angle width than LT.