[Alternative method of intraocular lens power calculation in eyes with short axial length].

PURPOSE

To develop an alternative method of intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation in eyes with mature cataract and axial length (AL) of less than 22.0 mm using modern formulas Barrett Universal II and Hill RBF.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study enrolled 41 patients (41 eyes) who underwent phacoemulsification (PE). Ultrasound biometry (Tomey Biometer Al-100) and keratometry (Topcon-8800) were used for IOL power calculation by SRK/T and Haigis formulas. To calculate IOL power by Barrett Universal II and Hill RBF formulas, 0.2 mm were added to AL measured with ultrasonography (retinal thickness). One month after PE, spherical equivalent of refraction was compared with target refraction (calculated by the formulas listed above), and based on that a conclusion was made on the accuracy of calculations.

RESULTS

Haigis formula was found to be the least accurate (IOL calculation error -0.39±0.79 D). The calculation error in SRK/T (0.04±0.79 D), Barrett Universal II (0.02±0.79 D) and Hill RBF (-0.05±0.73 D) formulas was much lower. However, among them Hill RBF had the lowest spread of the mean absolute IOL calculation error. Pairwise comparison revealed significant difference of mean IOL calculation error by Haigis formula versus the others. There was no significant difference in the following pairs: SRK/T - Barrett Universal II (=0.855), and SRK/T - Hill RBF (=0.167), but there was a significant difference (=0.043) in the Barrett Universal II - Hill RBF pairdue to the tendency for slight hypermetropic calculation error in the former and the inherent slight myopic shift in the latter..

CONCLUSION

The proposed alternative method of IOL power calculation in eyes with mature cataract and short AL using modern formulas (Barrett Universal II and Hill RBF) shows higher accuracy compared to the formulas embedded in ultrasound biometer (SRK/T and Haigis), and can be recommended for use in everyday practice.