Out of the 6,407 eyes of 4,163 patients, 115 eyes of 105 patients met the criteria for RAM, indicating a prevalence of 1.8% (115 from 6,407 eyes). Eighty-one cases (77.14%) were female, and 21 (17.4%) were bilateral.
Regarding eyewise analysis, 3 of 115 eyes had corneal guttata (2.6%), and one of these cases developed corneal decompensation after cataract surgery. Glaucoma was recorded in 30 eyes (26.09%). Detailed demographic data of patients with RAM are presented in Table 1.
Table 1
Demographic data in RAM patients
| 105 patients 115 eyes (%) |
Mean Age ± SD;yrs (N = 105 patients) | 65.21 ± 10.45 years (23–81 years) |
Laterality (N = 105) | |
Bilateral | 20(17.39%) |
Unilateral | 95(82.61%) |
Gender (N = 105) | |
Female | 81(77.14%) |
Male | 24(22.86%) |
Corneal guttata (N = 115 eyes) | 3(2.6%) |
Glaucoma (N = 115 eyes) | 30(26.09%) |
Primary angle closure disease | 20(17.39%) |
Primary open-angle glaucoma | 7(6.09%) |
Secondary glaucoma | 2(1.74%) |
Normal tension glaucoma | 1(0.87%) |
Among the glaucoma patients, females were predominantly affected, with 22 eyes in 20 females, while males accounted for only 8 cases. The most frequently encountered type of glaucoma was PACD, succeeded by POAG, secondary glaucoma, and NTG. Nineteen eyes (16.67%) with RAM presented with acute angle-closure crisis (AACC), and 15 (10%) were identified as fellow eyes following a previous AACC attack.
Glaucoma surgery was performed on 6 eyes, involving 1 use of phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation (PE-IOL) with goniosynechialysis (PE-GSL) and 5 of trabeculectomy. Laser peripheral iridotomy was performed in 17 eyes with RAM: 9 with PACG, 7 with PAC, and 1 with neovascular glaucoma (NVG).
A comparative analysis of ocular parameters between individuals with and without relative anterior microphthalmos (RAM) revealed significant disparities. In a study comprising 115 eyes with RAM and 6291 without it, median values (interquartile range) were scrutinized for various parameters. RAM eyes, defined by a WTW measurement of ≤ 11 mm and an AL exceeding 20 mm, exhibited notably shallower ACD, shorter AL, and slightly thicker lens compared to non-RAM eyes; however, there was no statistically significant difference between CCT in the two groups. Furthermore, RAM eyes displayed a higher lens-axial length factor (LAF) than non-RAM eyes (2.14 vs. 1.96, p < 0.01). Detailed findings are presented in Table 2. Notably, among the eyes with RAM, 23 (20%) exhibited a LAF greater than 2.3.(ref. 16)
Table 2
"Comparative Analysis of Ocular Parameters Using IOL Master: Relative Anterior Microphthalmos vs. Non-relative Anterior Microphthalmos"
Ocular parameters | RAM eyes N = 115 eyes Median (interquartile range) | Non-RAM eyes N = 6291 eyes Median (interquartile range) | P value† |
White-to-white (mm) | 10.87 (0.20) | 11.91 (0.58) | p < 0.001 |
Anterior chamber depth (mm) | 2.57 (0.62) | 3.08 (0.58) | p < 0.001 |
Axial length (mm) | 22.35 (1.09) | 23.48 (1.34) | p < 0.001 |
Lens thickness (mm) | 4.75 (0.60) | 4.62 (0.62) | p < 0.001 |
Central corneal thickness (µm) | 529.82 (39.34) | 531.60 (46.53) | P = 0.513 |
Lens-axial length factor | 2.14 (0.31) | 1.96 (0.33) | p < 0.001 |
†Mann-Whitney U Test
From baseline data in RAM, the mean IOP was 23.43 ± 12.71 mmHg, ranging from 6 to 52 mmHg. The vertical cup-disc ratio was 0.74 ± 0.18, varying from 0.3 to 1.0. On average, patients were using 2.7 ± 1.46 IOP-lowering medications, with the number of medications ranging from 0 to 5.
A comparative analysis of RAM with and without glaucoma is shown in Table 3. ACD and WTW in the glaucoma group was significantly lower than in the non-glaucoma patients.
Table 3
Biometric parameters comparing RAM patents with and without glaucoma
Parameters | RAM with glaucoma (N = 30 eyes) Mean ± SD | RAM without glaucoma (N = 85 eyes) Mean ± SD | P value |
Anterior chamber depth (mm) | 2.36 ± 0.38 | 2.72 ± 0.39 | < 0.001¶ |
Axial length (mm) | 22.18 ± 0.94 | 22.65 ± 1.49 | 0.109¶ |
White-to-white (mm) | 10.72 ± 0.24 | 10.84 ± 0.23 | 0.017† |
Lens thickness (mm) | 4.84 ± 0.37 | 4.72 ± 0.52 | 0.302¶ |
Central corneal thickness (µm) | 534.48 ± 37.63 | 532.13 ± 33.18 | 0.803† |
Lens-axial length factor | 2.18 ± 0.18 | 2.07 ± 0.36 | 0.115¶ |
¶Independent Sample T-test
†Mann-Whitney U Test
Cataract surgery and its complications in RAM
Forty-four eyes in the RAM group underwent cataract removal by multiple surgeons, either senior (24 eyes) or junior ophthalmologists (20 eyes). The procedures encompassed different types of cataract surgery: 9 underwent PE-IOL; 7 received PE-GSL; 1 had PE combined with trabeculectomy; 4 underwent PE with pars plana vitrectomy; and 3 extracapsular cataract extractions (ECCE) were performed.
• IOP reduction and number of IOP-lowering medications
Cataract surgery resulted in a notable reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP), with a mean preoperative IOP of 18.11 ± 7.82 mmHg decreasing to 14.42 ± 3.26 mmHg postoperatively (p = 0.004). Specifically, in the subgroup of patients with coexisting glaucoma, there was a significant decrease in IOP from 22.47 ± 11.70 mmHg before surgery to 13.40 ± 3.46 mmHg afterwards (p = 0.009). Additionally, surgery led to a significant decrease in the number of IOP-lowering medications required, dropping from 1.07 ± 1.634 preoperatively to 0.48 ± 1.0 at one month postoperatively (p < 0.001).
• Surgical complications
Among the 44 eyes with RAM that underwent cataract surgery, a total of 18 complications (40.9%) were observed. These included 14 cases of corneal edema at 1-week post-surgery, 1 posterior capsule rupture, 1 hyphema, 1 retained lens cortex, and 1 case of corneal decompensation, which was identified as the only serious complication in our study. Comparing biometric parameters in cases with and without complications, we found statistically significant differences between ACD and LAF in these groups: ACD in cases with complications was significantly shallower (mean 2.34 ± 0.41 mm vs 2.62 ± 0.35 mm, p = 0.023) and LAF was significantly higher (2.23 ± 0.20 vs 2.07 ± 0.26, p = 0.05). No other sight-threatening complications (such as expulsive choroidal hemorrhage or endophthalmitis) occurred.
Several risk factors were identified in association with surgical complications. An ACD of ≤ 2.2 mm (p = 0.023), LAF ≥ 2.3 (p = 0.030), and the involvement of a junior surgeon (p = 0.011) were pinpointed as significant contributors, elevating the likelihood of complications by 5.5, 5.8, and 6.1 times respectively. Interestingly, glaucoma and gender did not exhibit any discernible risk based on crude odds ratios in our analysis. (see Table 4)
Table 4
Logistic Regression Analysis: Risk Factors Associated with Surgical Complications
Risk factors | Unadjusted OR | 95% CI | P-value | Adjusted OR | 95% CI | P-value |
Gender | 6.30 | 0.72–55.51 | 0.097 | - | - | - |
anterior chamber depth (ACD)* | 5.47 | 1.27–23.64 | 0.023 | 9.46 | 1.33–67.51 | 0.025 |
lens-axial length factor (LAF)** | 5.78 | 1.19–28.04 | 0.030 | 21.08 | 1.76-252.51 | 0.016 |
Junior surgeon | 6.11 | 1.52–24.50 | 0.011 | 26.82 | 2.46-292.63 | 0.007 |
Glaucoma | 3.00 | 0.82–11.02 | 0.098 | - | - | - |
*ACD = less than 2.2 mm., **LAF ≥ 2.3 |