Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Macular edema and retinal thickening after cataract surgery can lead to poor vision in patients, especially in the presence of high glucose. Blood glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) concentration plays an important role in assessing diabetic control and is closely related to cataract surgery prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between postoperative HbA1c levels and postoperative cystoid macular edema (CME) and central macular thickness (CMT) in diabetic cataract patients. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was conducted on 80 patients with diabetic cataracts from December 2018 to December 2023. The enrolled cases were divided into 2 groups according to the blood glucose control: 56 cases (56 eyes) in the intensive treatment group (HbA1c ≤ 7.0%) with insulin combined with oral hypoglycemic agents; and 24 cases (24 eyes) in the standard treatment group (HbA1c > 7.0%). The Student's t-test or paired t-test was used to compare the changes in CMT between the two groups at each preoperative and postoperative time period. The chi-square test was used to compare the incidence of CME at each postoperative time period. Pearson or Spearman correlation was used to analyse the relationship between HbA1c levels and CMT or CME at each postoperative time period. Predictive efficacy was analyzed using ROC curves. RESULTS: Patients who went through the standard treatment showed significant CMT thickening and CME at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. HbA1c levels were positively correlated with CME and CMT at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, with good predictive efficacy. CONCLUSION: Postoperative HbA1c levels have a strong correlation with CME and CMT thickening and may be reliable and valid biomarkers.