TNOA Journal of Ophthalmic Science and Research (Jan 2022)
Optimal Time for Spectacle Prescription after Uneventful Clear Corneal Phacoemulsification
Abstract
Purpose: In this advanced era, patients prefer to have reliable spectacle prescription after phacoemulsification at the earliest possible time. The purpose of this study is to find out the period of refraction stabilization after uneventful phacoemulsification in a tertiary eye care hospital in south India. Methodology: A prospective nonrandomized observational study at a tertiary surgical eye care centre in South India was conducted from January to June 2018, on 210 eyes of 210 consecutive patients with senile cataracts, who underwent uneventful phacoemulsification through 2.8 mm clear corneal incision. The refraction status of the subjects was evaluated at 1st week, 3rd week, and 3rd month postoperatively. One hundred seven patients were followed up till 3rd month. The remaining patients were followed up to 1 month. Patients were grouped into 1, 2, and 3 based on power variations in the range of 0–0.25 D, 0.5–0.75 D, 1 D, and more difference between visits, respectively. The changes were analyzed for spherical and cylindrical powers separately. Results: Almost 98.1% and 96.2% of patients were in Group 1 among spherical and cylindrical powers, respectively, when compared between second and third visits. About 84.3% and 67.1% were in Group 1 among spherical and cylindrical powers, respectively, when compared between first and second visits, but the difference was not statistically significant. The mean spherical equivalent showed no difference between all the three visits. Conclusion: Since there is no statistically significant difference of spherical and cylindrical values between visits, our prospective study concludes that reliable final refraction both by autorefraction and subjective refraction for spectacle prescription is possible as early as 1 week, in cases of clear cornea and quiet eye at 1 week postoperatively.
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