Patients refer their family, friends, and neighbours to ophthalmologists for cataract surgery, more than for any other surgery. The expectations are high to provide optimal outcomes and patient satisfaction. While standard biomicroscopic fundus examinations are commonly used to evaluate the retina, they may miss subtle yet significant macular pathologies, particularly in the presence of lens opacities or poor pupil dilation.
By incorporating retinal OCT into preoperative assessments, surgeons can better inform patients, refine surgical strategies, and ultimately enhance postoperative results.
Spectral Domain OCT allows rapid acquisition of macular details. It is a fast, non-invasive examination of the posterior pole. Long wavelength light sources improve our ability to image relevant ocular structure. This can help to identify patients with uncontrolled blood sugar and advise them to improve their control prior to surgery.
Also, glaucoma might not be known prior to cataract surgery. Richard Cornwell, Medical Science Liaison, focuses on driving anterior segment product development within his role at Heidelberg Engineering, by working with key ophthalmologists, scientists and industry leaders about the trajectory of ophthalmic diagnostics —. Imaging the posterior pole can also help in identifying potential interventions which may change the surgical plan and provide insight to the visual potential of the retina following lens extraction.
Diagnostic and structural imaging can also provide support in cases that could benefit from combining cataract operations with other procedures such as corneal transplant or drainage shunts. Dos Santos and colleagues in Brazil are using posterior segment OCT scans prior to cataract surgery and finding Dr Kevin Barber, from the Advanced Centre for Eyecare Global in Orlando, recently promoted the trend for intraocular, sustained-delivery treatments delivered at the same time as cataract surgery to overcome compliance issues.
