Ümit Ekşioğlu, Sena Karabay Kılıçarslan, Gülşah Gökgöz, Meriç Yavuz Çolak, Mehmet Haberal
Experimental and Clinical Transplantation - 2025;23(12):796-801
Objectives: We aimed to investigate the findings of anterior and posterior segments among patients with end-stage renal disease who underwent cataract surgery after renal transplant. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included patients who underwent cataract surgery after renal transplant in our hospital between December 2017 and March 2023. We collected ocular biometric measurements, including axial length, white-to-white distance, anterior chamber depth, corneal keratometry, degree of astigmatism, and lens thickness. We also reviewed retinal thickness measurements (measured with optic coherence tomography), which we compared versus measurements from healthy controls . Results: We included findings of 48 eyes from patients who underwent cataract surgery after renal transplant and findings of 48 eyes from the control group. Corneal keratometry ( P < .001, P < .001) and lens thickness ( P = .002) were significantly higher in the transplant group versus the control group, but axial length ( P < .001) and white-to-white distance ( P = .021) were significantly higher in the control group. Notably, we found a significant difference in retinal thickness in all preoperative parafoveal quadrants ( P = .002, P = .011, P < .001, P = .002) and inferior and temporal perifoveal quadrants ( P = .012, P = .059). Postoperatively, foveal thickness average and all parafoveal quadrants remained significantly different (P < .001), along with superior and nasal perifoveal quadrant measurements ( P = .045, P = .004). Conclusions: Anterior and posterior segment parameters were significantly different between renal transplant recipients and healthy individuals, possibly because of the effects of renal transplant on ocular microcirculation and metabolism. These insights could guide the selection of intraocular lens power in cataract surgery for transplant patients. However, further research with larger sample sizes is needed to fully grasp the long-term implications of these changes. Exploration of potential links with specific immunosuppressive medications would offer valuable insights.
