Reduction in Corneal Diameter Following Cataract Surgery: A Comparison between Those Who Underwent Small Incision Cataract Surgery and Phacoemulsification at a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

Introduction: The prevalence of blindness in the country has progressively come down over the last three decades due to a dramatic increase in the number of cataract surgeries performed. However, surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) is one of the complications of cataract surgery and can cause residual vision problems to those undergoing the procedure. Those undergoing manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) are considered as more at risk for developing astigmatism than patients undergoing phacoemulsification (PE). Materials and Methods: Patients diagnosed to have age-related cataract and undergoing surgical intervention through MSICS or PE at Pushpagiri Medical College Hospital were included in the study. Visual acuity and corneal diameters were assessed before and 30 days after the surgical intervention. Results: A total of 61 participants were included in the study, 33 of them underwent MSICS and 28 had a PE procedure. The mean change in K1 corneal diameter was significantly lower in the case of MSICS than PE (P = 0.035) while the mean change in K2 diameter was comparable between the groups (P = 0.452). The changes in K1 corneal diameter was not affected by other factors like age, sex, or presence of comorbidities. In addition, the changes in K2 corneal diameter were not affected by any factors such as the type of surgery, age, sex, or presence of comorbidity. Conclusion: The study has shown that there is a significant change in corneal diameter in those patients undergoing surgical management of cataract. These changes in corneal diameter may be responsible for the rising incidence of SIA, and it is important to document these measurements. We need bigger studies with large sample sizes to establish the causal association between changes in corneal diameter and SIA.