Cataract surgery in eyes with nanophthalmos: Operative technique and refractive outcomes - A case series.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the refractive outcomes of cataract surgery in patients with nanophthalmos.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

In this retrospective descriptive case series, the medical records of patients with nanophthalmos (axial length<20mm) who underwent cataract surgery between 2015 and 2024 by the same surgeon (J.-S. R) at the National Vision Hospital of Quinze-Vingts were analyzed. Collected data included clinical and biometric characteristics as well as intraoperative and postoperative complications. The intraocular lens power was used to calculate the predicted postoperative refractive error using seven biometric formulas (Barrett Universal II, SRK/T, Hoffer Q, Holladay I, Haigis, EVO, Hoffer QST). For each formula, both the numerical refractive error and the mean absolute error were calculated.

RESULTS

Six eyes of six patients (3 women, 3 men) with a mean age of 63years were included in this study. The mean axial length was 17.2±1.17mm. The Barrett Universal II and Hoffer Q formulas showed better refractive accuracy (mean absolute prediction errors respectively 0.99±0.55 D; 1.38±0.59 D; 1.99±1.13 D). For the Holladay I, Hoffer QST, SRK/T, and Haigis formulas, the mean errors were higher (respectively 3.11±1.11 D; 3.48±1.51 D; 4.19±1.35 D; 6.65±0.95 D) and showed a greater tendency toward myopic shift. One patient experienced a postoperative decrease in visual acuity (from 0.3 to 0.4 logMAR).

CONCLUSION

Despite the development of complex automated models, our study suggests that the Barrett Universal II and Hoffer Q formulas, both validated for short eyes, appear to remain reliable for patients with nanophthalmos.