PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of lens density on liquefaction time by using liquefaction device (AquaLase(R), Alcon Laboratories, TX, U.S.A.). METHODS: Cataract surgery using AquaLase(R) was performed on 47 eyes. With a Scheimpflug camera, the density and thickness of lens were measured in eye of each patient preoperatively. During surgery, liquefaction time and total number of pulses were recorded. The correlation of both density and thickness of lens with liquefaction time and total number of pulses was analyzed. RESULTS: The mean density of anterior cortex, nucleus, and posterior cortex was 112.45+/-42.1 computer compatible tapes (CCT), 76.5+/-22.7 CCT, and 70.9+/-52.2 CCT, respectively. The mean thickness was 0.97+/-0.30 mm, 2.76+/-0.54 mm, and 0.81+/-0.24 mm, respectively. The mean liquefaction time was 174.8+/-108.2 seconds. The mean total number of pulses was 4799+/-3007.There was no significant difference between the density of each area of lens (anterior cortex, nucleus, posterior cortex, and total lens) and liquefaction time (p>0.05), and between the thickness of each area of lens and liquefaction time (p>0.05). There was no significant difference between the density of each area of lens and total number of pulses (p>0.05), and between the thickness of each area of lens and total number of pulses (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When extraction of soft to moderate density cataract was performed with AquaLase(R), liquefaction time and total number of pulse did not correlate to the density and thickness of lens.
Adult ; Aged ; Cataract/*pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lens, Crystalline/*pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phacoemulsification/instrumentation/*methods ; Photography ; Time Factors

PURPOSE: To compare surgical results between conventional intraocular lens (IOL) implantation using an ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) and IOL implantation using a balanced salt solution (BSS) after irrigation/aspiration (I/A) of the lens cortex. METHODS: A randomized prospective study was conducted on 62 patients who underwent cataract surgery. Following completion of conventional I/A of the lens cortex, we divided patients into two groups according to whether or not BSS was used. In group A (n = 31), the anterior chamber and the capsular bag were completely filled with an OVD before IOL implantation. On the other hand, in group B (n = 31), BSS was irrigated into the anterior chamber through a previous side port during IOL implantation. Surgical results were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In both groups, IOP peaked six hours after surgery. The occurrence of an IOP spike by postoperative day one was observed in six cases (6 / 31) in group A and in no cases (0 / 31) in group B, a difference that was statistically significant (p = 0.024). The values of endothelial cell density, central corneal thickness, anterior chamber inflammation, myopic shift, and posterior capsule opacification were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the use of OVD for IOL implantation, use of BSS during IOL implantation resulted in reductions in postoperative IOP spike and OVD removal time.
Aged ; Anterior Chamber/*surgery ; Cataract Extraction ; Device Removal ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular/*methods ; Middle Aged ; Phacoemulsification/*instrumentation/*methods ; Prospective Studies ; Therapeutic Irrigation/*methods

PURPOSE: The 2.2-mm microincision cataract surgery and small-gauge vitrectomy system is known to result in less surgically-induced astigmatism (SIA) in comparison to conventional surgical methods. We compared the amounts of SIA after combined phacoemulsification and 23-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy (23G-TSV) using the 2.2-mm microincision and 2.75-mm standard incision methods. METHODS: We studied 59 patients (61 eyes) who underwent combined phacoemulsification and 23G-TSV from November 2008 to September 2012. Twenty-eight patients (28 eyes) underwent 2.2-mm microincision coaxial phacoemulsification, and 31 patients (33 eyes) underwent 2.75-mm standard incision phacoemulsification. SIA was evaluated using Naeser's polar method with the simulated keratometric values obtained from corneal topography. Preoperative and 1-week and 1-month postoperative KP (Naeser's polar value along the specific axis) and DeltaKP values were compared between the 2.2-mm microincision and 2.75-mm standard incision groups. RESULTS: One week after surgery, both groups exhibited similar amounts of SIA (-DeltaKP[120], 0.40 +/- 0.41 vs. 0.51 +/- 0.56 diopters [D]; p = 0.390). One month after surgery, however, the amount of SIA was significantly smaller in the 2.2-mm microincision group as compared to the 2.75-mm standard incision group (-DeltaKP[120], 0.31 +/- 0.54 vs. 0.56 +/- 0.42 D; p = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: In combined phacoemulsification with 23G-TSV, 2.2-mm microincision coaxial phacoemulsification induces less SIA than does 2.75-mm standard coaxial phacoemulsification.
Aged ; Astigmatism/diagnosis/*etiology ; *Cataract ; Cornea/surgery ; Corneal Topography/methods ; Female ; Humans ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular/*adverse effects/methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phacoemulsification/*adverse effects/methods ; Postoperative Complications/diagnosis/etiology ; Sclera/surgery ; Vitrectomy/*adverse effects/instrumentation/methods

PURPOSE: To compare the refractive results of cataract surgery measured by applanation ultrasound and the new partial coherence interferometer, AL-scan. METHODS: Medical records of 76 patients and 104 eyes who underwent cataract surgery from January 2013 to June 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Biometries were measured using ultrasound and AL-scan and intraocular lens power was calculated using the SRK-T formula. Automatic refraction examination was done 1 month after the operation, and differences between the ultrasound group and AL-scan group were compared and analyzed by mean absolute error. RESULTS: Mean axial length measured preoperatively by the ultrasound method was 23.53 +/- 1.17 mm while the lengths measured using the AL-scan were 0.03 mm longer than that of the ultrasound group (23.56 +/- 1.15 mm). However, there was not a significant difference in this finding (p = 0.638). Mean absolute error was 0.34 +/- 0.27 diopters in the ultrasound group and 0.36 +/- 0.31 diopters in AL-scan group, which showed no significant difference (p = 0.946) in precision of predicting postoperative refraction. CONCLUSIONS: Although the difference was not statistically significant, intraocular lens calculations done by the AL-scan were nearly similar in predicting postoperative refraction compared to those of applanation ultrasound, however more precise measurements may be obtained if the axial length is longer than 24.4 mm. Except in the case of opacity in the media, which makes obtaining measurements with the AL-scan difficult, AL-scan could be a useful biometry in cataract surgery.
Aged ; Anterior Chamber/pathology ; Axial Length, Eye/*pathology ; Biometry/methods ; Female ; Humans ; Interferometry/*instrumentation ; *Lens Implantation, Intraocular ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Light ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Phacoemulsification ; Refraction, Ocular/physiology ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity/physiology