Evaluation of structural and vascular changes in the choroid after uneventful phacoemulsification surgery

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate structural and vascular changes in the choroid after phacoemulsification surgery. Methods: This research comprised 50 eyes of 50 individuals who received uneventful surgical treatment for cataracts. Intraocular pressure, axial length, subfoveal choroidal thickness, and choroidal thickness in the nasal and temporal areas at 1,500-micron distance from the fovea were measured before surgery and at one and three months after surgery. At the same evaluation times, the choroidal luminal area and choroidal stromal area were calculated with the binarization method using image J software, and the choroidal vascular index (CVI) was calculated by dividing the luminal area by the total area. In addition, total surgery time and effective phacoemulsification time were recorded. Results: The patients had a mean age of 64.7 ± 8.5 years. The mean total operative time was 13.9 ± 3.8 minutes, and the mean effective phacoemulsification time was 3.8 ± 2.1 minutes. The mean intraocular pressure value was 14.4 ± 3.4 mmHg before surgery, and 13.2 ± 2.9 mmHg at the first month and 13.0 ± 2.1 mmHg at the third month postoperatively. Although there was a decrease in the intraocular pressure after surgery, no significant difference was found (p>0.05 for all). The axial length measured during the first and third months postoperatively did not significantly differ from the evaluation undertaken preoperatively (p>0.05 for all). A significant increase was detected in the subfoveal, nasal, and temporal choroidal thicknesses at the first postoperative month compared to the preoperative values (p<0.05), but no significant difference was found at the third month postoperatively (p>0.05). The mean CVI was 61.6 ± 3.5% preoperatively, 65.2 ± 4.2% at the first postoperative month, and 65.9 ± 3.9% at the third postoperative month. The increase at the first and third postoperative months was significant when compared to the evaluation made preoperatively (p=0.004 and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Structural and vascular choroidal changes in the after-cataract surgery are important. In this study, it was observed that after uneventful phacoemulsification, the choroidal thickness increased at the first postoperative month and reached the preoperative values at the third month. It was also determined that CVI increased at the first and third postoperative months. CVI can offer an idea about whether cataract surgery is a predisposing factor in diseases involving the choroid. Abbreviations: CVI = choroidal vascular index