Early postoperative macular thickening in diabetics: Role of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in detecting subclinical edema
Nikhat Rehman, Shweta Walia, Niharika AryaBackground:
Postoperative macular edema remains a significant cause of suboptimal visual recovery following cataract surgery. Despite advances in surgical techniques, inflammatory-mediated retinal fluid accumulation continues to occur with diabetes mellitus, being the most important risk factor. Diabetic eyes exhibit compromised retinal vascular integrity and heightened inflammatory responses which predispose them to more severe and persistent macular edema compared to eyes of nondiabetics. Early recognition and tailored preventive and therapeutic strategies are therefore essential to optimize postoperative visual outcomes. The study aimed to evaluate postoperative macular edema development in diabetic and nondiabetic patients after cataract surgery.
Materials and Methods:
The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital for a period of over 1 year. Eighty participants fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. Central macular thickness was measured by optical coherence tomography preoperatively and at 6 weeks postoperatively. Data were analyzed statistically.
Results:
Significant macular thickening was seen in both the groups, consistent with surgery-related inflammatory effect, but the magnitude was markedly higher in diabetics: a mean rise of + 49.06 µm (264.27 → 313.33;
Conclusion:
Cataract surgery can induce measurable macular thickening in both diabetic and nondiabetic eyes, but diabetes substantially amplifies the postoperative macular response, increasing the incidence and severity of macular edema and shifting postoperative visual acuity outcomes toward poorer categories.