[Analysis of postoperative astigmatism after phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation].

OBJECTIVE: To study the corneal astigmatism and the changes of surgically induced astigmatism after phacoemulsification with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. METHODS: Thirty-eight eyes of 38 patients treated with phacoemulsification through a superior inversed frown shaped scleral incision were examined by corneal topography and auto-ref-keratometer preoperatively, one day, one month and three months postoperatively. RESULTS: The postoperative corneal astigmatism at one day, one month and three months were (1.10 +/- 0.71), (1.08 +/- 0.66) and (0.87 +/- 0.55) D respectively. There was no statistic significance between the postoperative astigmatism at three months and at preoperative one day (P > 0.05). The mean surgically-induced astigmatism at postoperative one day, one month and three months were (1.37 +/- 1.03), (1.24 +/- 0.93) and (1.04 +/- 0.75) D respectively. There was significant difference between the astigmatism at three months and at one day postoperatively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The superior inversed frown shaped scleral small incision with no suture has little effect on corneal astigmatism. Vector analysis can systemically evaluate surgically induced astigmatism. The results of corneal topography are more reliable to reflect changes in corneal curvature than that of auto-ref-keratometer, and corneal topography has more important clinical value in evaluating surgically induced astigmatism.