Comparison of a new optical biometer and a standard biometer in cataract patients.

Background: Cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure in ophthalmology. Biometry data and accurate intraocular lens (IOL) calculations are very important in achieving the desired refractive outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare measurements using a new optical low coherence reflectometry (OLCR) biometer (OA-2000) and the gold standard partial coherence interferometry (PCI) optical biometer (IOLMaster 500).

Methods: Ocular biometry of cataract patients were measured by the OA-2000 and IOLMaster 500 to compare keratometry (K), axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), white-to-white (WTW) diameter, and IOL power using the SRK/T formula.

Results: One hundred and two eyes of 68 cataract patients were evaluated with the two optical biometers. The mean values of the AL, K, ACD, and WTW differed very little (OCLR biometer, 23.12 mm, 44.50 diopters (D), 3.06, and 11.64 mm, respectively; PCI biometer, 23.18 mm, 44.6 D, 3.15, and 11.86 mm, respectively), but the differences were significant (all,  ≤ 0.05). The AL, K, and ACD showed excellent correlations ( = 0.999, 0.980, and 0.824, respectively; all  < 0.001); however, there was a weak correlation of the WTW diameter between the two devices ( = 0.256). The IOL powers using the SRK-T formula derived from both instruments were very similar, with an excellent correlation ( = 0.989). The mean difference between the two instruments was 0.32 D.

Conclusions: The OLCR biometer showed very a strong agreement with the standard PCI optical biometer for almost all ocular biometry measurements, except for the WTW diameter.

Trial Registration: TCTR20160614003; date 06/09/2016; 'retrospectively registered'.