Corneal Endothelial Changes Following Early Capsulotomy Using Neodymium:Yttrium–Aluminum–Garnet Laser

Abstract

We aimed to survey whether the timing of neodymium:yttrium–aluminum–garnet (Nd:YAG) laser capsulotomy would alter the corneal endothelial morphology and density. A retrospective cohort study was conducted, and 48 patients with unilateral posterior capsular opacity (PCO) and Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy performance were enrolled. The participants were divided into the early Nd:YAG group (timing ≤ 12 months, n = 20) and late Nd:YAG group (timing > 12 months, n= 28) depending on elapsed months between phacoemulsification and Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy. Endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variant (CV), hexagonality (HEX), and central corneal thickness (CCT) between the two groups were collected. A generalized estimate equation was conducted to evaluate the corneal endothelial parameters between the two groups with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The CDVA was improved after treatment in both groups (both p 2 vs. 2441.55 ± 321.80/mm2, p 2 four weeks after the treatment but was still lower than the preoperative status (p p = 0.028). The ECD in the early group was significantly lower than that in the late group (aOR: 0.167, 95% CI: 0.079–0.356, p = 0.003) in both week 1 (p p = 0.004) after laser treatment. In conclusion, the early application of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy within one year after cataract surgery may be the reason for postoperative ECD decrement without known etiology.

Keywords

• Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy
• corneal endothelium
• endothelial cell density
• posterior capsular opacification