Prevalence of Corneal Astigmatism in Patients before Cataract Surgery in Northern China. (2nd June 2014) - Yuan, Xiaoyong
Abstract : Purpose . To analyze the prevalence and presentation patterns of corneal astigmatism in cataract surgery candidates in a teaching hospital in northern China. Methods . From May 1, 2012, to April 30, 2013, partial coherence interferometry (IOLMaster) measurements of all qualified cataract surgery candidates were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results . The study evaluated 12, 449 eyes from 6, 908 patients with a mean age of 69.80 ± 11.15 (SD) years. The corneal astigmatism was 0.5 diopters (D) or less in 20.76% of eyes, 1.0 D or more in 47.27% of eyes, 2.0 D or more in 13.16% of eyes, and 3.0 D or more in 3.75% of eyes. With-the-rule astigmatism was found in 30.36% of eyes, while against-the-rule was found in 52.41% of eyes. The percentage of against-the-rule astigmatism increased with age. Conclusion . Our study showed that almost one-half of preoperative eyes (47.27%) in northern China have a corneal astigmatism of 1.0 D or more, indicating that more surgical techniques or toric IOLs are needed to achieve better visual rehabilitation.