Purpose: To investigate the changes in the anterior chamber volume (ACV) with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) after cataract surgery and the factors that influence these ACV changes.
Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. Fifty-one patients who underwent cataract surgery were enrolled. Their ACV, anterior chamber depth, and angle widths were measured with SS-OCT before and 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after surgery. The associations between the changes in ACV and posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and axial length (AXL) were determined.
Results: Compared with the preoperative volume, ACV increased significantly at all three time points after surgery (all p < 0.001). ACV was greater at 1 week after surgery than at 1 day after surgery (p < 0.001). Both AXL and the presence of PVD were significantly associated with the change in ACV at 1 day after surgery (p = 0.005). However, neither PVD nor AXL affected the change in ACV between 1 day and 1 week after surgery.
Conclusions: ACV stabilized in the first week after cataract surgery. The absorption of irrigation fluid and balanced salt solution in the vitreous cavity contributed to the change in ACV 1 week after surgery. Eyes with longer AXL and PVD tended to show less change in ACV at 1 day after surgery.
Keywords: Anterior chamber volume; Axial length; Cataract surgery; Optical coherence tomography; Phacoemulsification; Posterior vitreous detachment.