Imaging analysis of the biological parameters of the lens in patients with cortical age-related cataracts using ultrasound biomicroscopy

BACKGROUND: The spatial position of the lens in patients with cortical age-related cataract (CARC) is unclear. We investigated a basis for the assessment of visual quality after cataract surgery by analysing the ultrasound biomicroscopic characteristics of the biological parameters of the lens in patients with CARC. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 119 patients (50 males and 69 females, totalling 238 eyes) with CARC who underwent simple cataract surgery were selected. The lens thickness (LT), axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens vault (LV), trabecular-iris angle (TIA), iris-lens angle (ILA), iris-lens contact distance (ILCD) were measured by A-scan ultrasound and ultrasound biomicroscopy. The corresponding lens position (LP) and relative lens position (RLP) were calculated. RESULTS: LP was greater in men than in women (P < 0.05), LV was smaller in men than in women (P = 0.002), ILA and ILCD were not statistically significant (P = 0.072 and P = 0.854, respectively). There were significant differences in TIA, ILA, and ILCD in the four quadrants (all P < 0.05), with a trend in the distribution of TIA: superior < inferior < nasal < temporal, ILA: nasal < inferior < temporal < superior, and ILCD: superior < temporal < inferior < nasal. CONCLUSIONS: The lens protrudes more obviously in females than in males and the lens tilts to a certain extent with the increase of age and tends to be more upward and temporal in the supine position. Therefore, trends in lens-related parameters in patients with CARC should be taken seriously.