Evaluation of Central Corneal Thickness as measured by Pentacam and Retinal and Choroidal Thickness as measured by Optical Coherence Tomography before and After Uneventful Cataract Phacoemulsification in Normal and Diabetic Patients without Retinopathy

Abstract

hacoemulsification (phaco) is one of the most widely used cataract surgery techniques nowadays. Various factors can influence the tissue structures of the eyeball eg. ultrasonic energy, fluidics, mechanical effects, compression, and hypoxia on the tissue. Every step of this maneuver can cause direct or indirect effects on ocular tissues. Ultrasonic energy and fluidics produce mechanical effects that cause an inflammatory reaction which affects cornea, retina and choroid. Several mechanisms have been proposed for endothelial cell damage during phacoemulsification; these include mechanical contact with nuclear fragments, irrigation flow, turbulence and movement of fluid, direct trauma caused by instruments or lens fragments, and formation of cavitation bubbles. Surgical trauma and release of prostaglandin, may increase the permeability and leakage of the perifoveal capillaries, which if severe enough, leads to pooling in the outer layers of the central retina.. Fluid accumulation disturbs cell function and retinal configuration. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a medical diagnostic noninvasive, noncontact imaging modality which performs high-resolution, micron-scale, cross-sectional, or