PURPOSE: Cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) is a phacoemulsification unit parameter designed to monitor the amount of energy delivered during phacoemulsification. Studies have already shown that lower CDE levels have better surgical outcomes, specifically in corneal recovery. However, few literature exists regarding the correlation between CDE and foveal thickness.

METHODS: In this prospective study, subjects with age-related cataract underwent cataract surgery by phacoemulsification. Central subfield thickness (CST), cube volume (CV), and cube average thickness (CAT) of the macula were measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) at three separate time-points: preoperative, 1 day, and 14 days after cataract surgery. To determine the correlation between parameters, Pearson's correlation coefficients and degree of association, and coefficient of determination (r2 ) were used.

RESULTS: One hundred eyes from 93 subjects were analysed. Preoperatively, mean CST was 247.71 ± 21.44 µm, CV was 9.38 ± 0.82 mm3 , and CAT was 262.94 ± 22.15 µm. At 12.42 + 11.05 of mean CDE exposure, the fovea increased in thickness in all measured parameters. The relationship between CDE and the change in foveal thickness values from baseline to postoperative Day 1 and Day 14 were examined. The correlation coefficients obtained for CST, CV, and CAT had low association to CDE. Furthermore, only the correlation coefficients of the difference between baseline and Day 1 of CST, and the difference between baseline and Day 14 observations of CV were significant (0.279 and -0.206, p=0.005 and p=0.040, respectively) but still with a low degree of association.

CONCLUSION: There is a low, significant, direct association of the difference of CST on Day 1 from baseline with CDE, and a low, significant, indirect association of the difference of CV on Day 14 from baseline with CDE after routine phacoemulsification.