Corneal spherical aberration in patients with cataract before and after operation

Objective To investigate the distribution and change of corneal spherical aberration（SA）in patients with age-related cataract before and after operation. Methods Forty-two eyes of 30 patients with age-related cataract were examined with a Scheimpflug photography system（Pentacam）.Corneal SA with a virtual pupil diameter of 5,5.5 and 6mm was analyzed 3 months before and after operation. Results The mean corneal SA was（0.311±0.147）μm and（0.274±0.145）μm respectively for the 6mm diameter（P=0.254,t=1.147）,（0.230±0.109）μm and（0.204±0.116）μm respectively for the 5.5mm diameter（P=0.302,t=1.039）,（0.157±0.089）μm and（0.141±0.094）μm respectively for the 5mm diameter before and after operation（P=0.428,t′=0.797）.The mean corneal SA was significantly different in the 6mm,5.5mm and 5mm groups before and after operation. Conclusion The corneal SA varies greatly in patients with cataract,tends to decrease with the shortened optic diameter of pupils or incident light after operation compared with that before operation.