Comparison of 3 biometry devices in cataract patients

Abstract

Purpose: Accurate biometry is an obligatory preoperative measurement for refractive surgery as well as cataract surgery. A new device based on partial coherence interferometry was compared with 2 currently used biometry devices.

Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany.

Design: Prospective case series.

Methods: Eyes of cataract patients were examined with a functional prototype of the new optical low-coherence reflectometry (OLCR) biometer OA-2000, the standard OLCR biometer Lenstar, and the partial coherence interferometry (PCI) biometer IOLMaster. The results were compared using a Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson correlation calculations.

Results: A total of 138 eyes of 74 cataract patients were examined. Pearson correlation showed excellent correlation for axial length, anterior chamber depth and keratometry among the 3 devices tested. The highest correlation was found between standard OLCR biometer and PCI biometer for AL, R1, and R2 (r = 1.0, r = 0.936, r = 0.952, respectively; all P ≤ .001). For anterior chamber depth (ACD), the highest correlation was found between the standard OLCR biometer and the new OLCR biometer (r = 0.943; P ≤ .001). The mean values of AL/ACD/R1/R2 differed very little, but the differences were significant (all P ≤ .05) (new OLCR biometer 23.31/3.21/7.74/7.64 mm; standard OLCR biometer 23.30/3.13/7.80/7.60 mm; PCI biometer 23.37/3.00/7.78/7.6 mm).

Conclusions: Compared with other clinical instruments, the new OLCR biometer generated the most accurate results. Differences especially in measurement of axial length were statistically but not clinically significant. The new OLCR biometer yielded results that correlated very well with the values of the PCI biometer and standard OLCR biometer.

Financial disclosure: None of the authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.