Improving Intraocular Lens Calculation in Fuchs Endothelial Dystrophy According To Preoperative Degree of Corneal Edema

Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (FED) is a bilateral, asymmetric, progressive corneal endothelium disorder that causes corneal edema. Resolution of corneal edema is only possible by corneal transplantation. Cataract surgery is a common surgery that replaces the natural lens of the eye by an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). The IOL-power calculation depends mainly on the anterior corneal keratometry and the axial length. In patients with FED, anterior keratometry may be affected by corneal edema and calculations may be less accurate. Therefore, the aim of this study is to establish the theorical postoperative refractive error due to corneal edema resolution after Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty combined with cataract surgery and IOL implantation. For this, anterior keratometry was measure preoperatively with edematous cornea and postoperatively after corneal edema resolution. Both keratometries were compared and used to calculate the respective theorical IOL-powers. The difference between target IOLs was used to establish the theorical refractive error due to corneal edema resolution. The results showed that corneal edema resolution induces a change in anterior keratometry, which affects IOL-power calculations and causes a hyperopic shift. The patients with moderate-to-severe preoperative corneal edema had higher theorical refractive error so their target selection should be adjusted for additional − 0.50D.