Objective quantification of posterior capsule opacification after cataract surgery with swept-source optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To evaluate the application of swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and pentacam scheimpflug tomography in posterior capsule opacification (PCO) severity assessment.

Methods: The posterior capsule image region segmentation and adaptive threshold algorithm are used to process the SS-OCT scanned image to obtain the posterior capsule thickness (PCT). Scheimpflug tomography reconstructed and analysized by image J software can obtain the average gray value and evaluate the effectiveness with the two methods.

Result: One hundred sixty-two IOL eyes of 101 patients were divided into two groups, laser group (65 eyes) with the mean PCT was 8.0 ± 2.7 pixel unit and the mean gray value of the eyes was 66 ± 33 pixel unit. However, these figures in the control group (97 eyes) were 5.0 ± 0.9 and 11 ± 17. The sensitivity, specificity and area under curve(AUC) of SS-OCT PCT were 85%, 74% and 0.942,the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of Pentacam gray value were 91%, 76% and 0.947, respectively. After using the multivariable model of generalized estimation equation to corrected the dependence of subjects' eyes, it was found that SS-OCT PCT, Pentacam gray value, low vision quality of life questionnaire (LVQ questionnaire) for distance vision, and mobility and lighting dimension were significantly correlated with the PCO score (P = 0.012, P = 0.001, P = 0.005, respectively).

Conclusion: The region segmentation and adaptive threshold algorithm of posterior capsule image will accurately quantify the posterior capsule. Computer aided quantifications of posterior capsule are of great significance in the early surgical decision-making of PCO. The average occurrence time of most PCO was around 34 months, and the severity of PCO worsened with increasing postoperative time.