USE OF OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY TO MEASURE PREVALENCE OF EPIRETINAL MEMBRANES IN PATIENTS REFERRED FOR CATARACT SURGERY PREVALENCIA DE MEMBRANAS EPIRRETINIANAS MEDIANTE TOMOGRAFÍA DE COHERENCIA ÓPTICA EN PACIENTES REMITIDOS PARA CIRUGÍA DE CATARATAS

Purpose: To evaluate, using optical coherence tomography (OCT), the prevalence of epiretinal membranes (ERM) in patients referred for phacoemulsification, and the frequency of new ERM development in the first six months after surgery. Methods: Patients referred by general ophthalmologists for cataract surgery underwent a new, complete ophthalmological evaluation. OCT scanning was performed using the Macular Thickness Map acquisition protocol (StratusOCT, Carl Zeiss Meditec). This baseline examination was used to determine the prevalence of ERM in patients referred for cataract surgery. All patients underwent uneventful phacoemulsification. If an ERM was already present in one eye, the other eye was chosen for cataract surgery. If no ERM was present, the eye with the poorest visual acuity was operated. Operated eyes were followedup for six months in order to study the influence of phacoemulsification on the development of ERM. Results: Forty-five patients were prospectively evaluated. In the baseline visit, ERM were detected by OCT in 7 patients (15.6%). Both eyes were affected in one patient, with the ERM being apparent on fun