Evaluation of Central Corneal Thickness after Cataract Surgery in Eyes with Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome

Purpose: To compare central corneal thickness after phacoemulsification in patients with and without pseudoexfoliation syndrome.Patients and Methods: A total of 130 eyes who were candidates for phacoemulsification (60 eyes with pseudoexfoliation syndrome and 70 eyes without pseudoexfoliation syndrome) in Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Yazd, Iran were included in this prospective study. Before the surgery and one day postoperatively CCT were measured in all eyes using Lenstar LS 900 biometer (Haag-Streit(®)) and compared between the case and control groups. Results: Central corneal thickness before surgery was not significantly different between two groups (509 ± 29.28 µm in study group and 516 ± 32.11 µm in the control group, P = 0.27). Postoperatively, CCT in pseudoexfoliation group (589 ± 36.91 µm) was significantly higher than the control group (553 ± 32.77 µm) (P ˂ 0.001).  Conclusion: The mean central corneal thickness was significantly higher in patients with pseudoexfoliation compared to patients without pseudoexfoliation after cataract surgery. We suggest that phacoemulsification in cataract surgery candidates with pseudoexfoliation should be performed more carefully and with special considerations.