Refractive Outcomes of Phacovitrectomy in Retinal Detachment Compared to Phacoemulsification Alone Using Swept-Source OCT Biometry

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To assess the refractive outcomes in patients who underwent combined phacovitrectomy for retinal detachment compared to phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implant utilizing newer swept-source optical-coherence-tomography (SS-OCT) biometry and determine the requirement of an adjustment factor for superior predicted refractive outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 95 eyes: 52 eyes that underwent phacovitrectomy and 43 eyes with phacoemulsification only that served as the control group. Mean refractive error (ME) and mean absolute error (MAE) were used to compare the groups. RESULTS: No statistically significant postoperative refractive shift was found between phacoemulsification and phacovitrectomy eyes for (1) ME (0.05 D [+/- 0.51 diopters (D)] and (0.03 [+/- 0.73 D], respectively; P = .348), (2) MAE (0.41 D +/- 0.29 D and 0.60 +/- 0.44 D, respectively), or (3) MAE of the control compared to macula-on/off eyes (P = .160 and P = .078, respectively). CONCLUSION: The authors do not recommend an adjustment factor for IOL selection when utilizing SS-OCT biometry, as it provided refractive outcomes superior to those found in previous studies utilizing a partial coherence interferometry system.

Automated summary

The study compared refractive outcomes in patients undergoing combined phacovitrectomy versus phacoemulsification and found no significant difference in mean refractive error or mean absolute error. Utilizing swept-source optical-coherence-tomography (SS-OCT) biometry provided superior refractive outcomes without the need for an adjustment factor for IOL selection.