A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN PHACOEMULSIFICATION AND SMALL INCISION CATARACT SURGERY ON THE AXIAL LENGTH AND ANTERIOR CHAMBER DEPTH

ABSTRACT

Cataracts are a common eye problem where the crystalline lens clouds, causing blurry vision. They are primarily due to aging but can also result from various factors. Symptoms include blurry vision, glare sensitivity, and night vision problems. The most effective treatment is surgery to replace the cloudy lens with an artificial one. This study compared phacoemulsification and small incision cataract surgery on patients' axial length and anterior chamber depth in Adetula Opticals, Lagos State, Nigeria. An observational cohort study was carried out on 90 participants who were scheduled to undergo cataract surgery, 48 female and 42 male. These participants were divided into two groups: one receiving phacoemulsification and the other receiving small incision cataract surgery. The axial length and anterior chamber depth were measured and recorded before and after the surgery using Nidek US-4000 Amplitude scan ultrasound biometry. The data from this study was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. The study employed both Unpaired and Paired T-tests to assess significance. The results indicated no significant difference between Phacoemulsification and small incision cataract surgery (p > 0.05). However, the Paired T-test revealed statistically significant changes in visual acuity, axial length, and anterior chamber measurements before and after Phacoemulsification and small incision cataract surgery (p < 0.05). In Conclusion, both procedures led to increased anterior chamber depth and improved visual acuity, along with a reduction in axial length. Nevertheless, the variations between the surgical techniques were not significant. As a recommendation, future research should consider additional factors such as demographics, corneal conditions, and surgeon experience.