Partial coherence interferometry: a novel approach to biometry in cataract urgery Original Reearch Article

PURPOE: To compare biometry performed by an enhanced verion of dual beam partial coherence interferometry and applanation ultraound in a propective tudy of 85 cataract eye to improve refractive outcome of cataract urgery due to a more accurate calculation of intraocular len power. METHOD: The RK II formula uing ultraound biometry data wa employed. Three month after urgery, partial coherence interferometry biometry wa repeated and refractive outcome wa determined. Preoperative partial coherence interferometry biometry data were ued to determine the refractive power of the intraocular lene retropectively and to calculate the poible refractive outcome. REULT: Preciion of partial coherence interferometry biometry wa more than 10 time better than that of ultraound. Therefore, the poible mean abolute error for potoperative refraction achieved with partial coherence interferometry biometry wa 0.49 diopter (compared with 0.67 diopter with ultraound biometry), reulting in an improvement of 27%. Axial eye length meaured with the two technique differed by a mean of 460 μm. The difference in len thickne meaured with partial coherence interferometry and ultraound ignificantly correlated with cataract grade. A mean hortening of 120 μm of axial eye length following cataract urgery wa alo detected by partial coherence interferometry. CONCLUION: The enhanced verion of partial coherence interferometry offer biometry with unprecedented preciion (<10 μm) and reolution (not, vert, imilar12 μm), therefore improving the refractive outcome in cataract urgery. Thi noninvaive technique provide a high degree of comfort for the patient, with no need for local anetheia or pupil dilation and minimized rik of corneal infection.