Corneal thickness after cataract surgery.

An increase in corneal thickness occurs so regularly after cataract surgery as to be considered to be the rule. It reflects the state of endothelial activity and is therefore affected both by the preoperative condition of the endothelium and the degree of surgical manipulation. The question how quickly the endothelium can be expected to recover with consequent disappearance of corneal swelling is still open to discussion. The central corneal thickness of 55 eyes with normal slit-lamp endothelial appearance undergoing cataract surgery was measured preoperatively and on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and 42nd postoperative days. The initial corneal thickness was 0.56 mm. The greatest corneal swelling, found on the third postoperative day, was 16%. Corneal thickness returned to preoperative values in four eyes within 7 days, in 19 eyes within 14 days, in 39 eyes within 21 days, in 50 eyes within 28 days, and in all 55 eyes within 42 days. Corneal swelling, as measured on the third postoperative day, was greatest (19%) when chromic catgut was used, less (13-16%) when black silk 7/0 was used, and least (9%) when virgin silk 8/0 was used.