Removing sutures enhances accuracy of IOL power calculations in injured eyes

In traumatic aphakic eyes with corneal sutures, the most accurate method for calculating intraocular lens (IOL) power is based on the corneal curvature measured after the removal of corneal sutures, according to a study. This approach yields the best refractive outcomes compared to measurements taken from the healthy eye or the affected eye before suture removal.

The study included 261 eyes with unilateral penetrating injuries that underwent corneal wound repair and cataract extraction, followed by secondary IOL implantation. Corneal curvature measurements were obtained from the healthy eye, the affected eye before suture removal, and the affected eye after suture removal. The refractive outcomes among the three groups were then compared.

The study that the mean absolute error (MAE) for IOL power calculations was lowest in the group measured after suture removal (0.99 ± 0.85 D) compared to the group measured from the healthy eye (1.87 ± 1.71 D) and the group measured before suture removal (1.37 ± 1.20 D). In addition, 40% of eyes in the post-suture removal group had IOL prediction errors within ± 0.50 D, higher than 21.7% in the healthy eye group and 28.0% in the pre-suture removal group. For prediction errors within ± 1.0 D, the post-suture removal group had a 90.9% accuracy, significantly better than 67.9% in the healthy eye group and 75.0% in the pre-suture removal group.

Reference
Li C, Chen X, Ke X, et al. Comparison of the effectiveness of different corneal curvature measurement methods for IOL implantation in traumatic aphakic eyes with corneal injury. Int Ophthalmol. 2024;44(1):248. doi: 10.1007/s10792-024-03172-z. PMID: 38907133.