refractive and anterior chamber parametric changes after nd: yag laser capsulotomy

purpose: to evaluate changes in anterior chamber (ac) parameters before and one month after nd:yag capsulotomy. methods: a total of 30 eyes from 27 patients with posterior capsule opacification graded 2-4 with surgical history of uneventful phacoemulsification and acrylic foldable iol implantation were included in this study. before capsulotomy and one month later, anterior chamber depth, volume and angle were measured by scheimpflug imaging. results: all patients showed a significant increase in best corrected visual acuity. a significant anterior iol shift and therefore myopic change was detected. anterior chamber volume and angle showed an increasing trend which was not significant statistically. anterior chamber depth showed a significant reduction one month after nd: yag capsulotomy (p= 0.001). conclusion: in our study we found a significant forward displacement of the one piece acrylic iol one month after capsulotomy which led to a decrease in ac depth and myopic shift in patients. the post-focus mode of modern nd: yag lasers and its anteriorly propagated shock wave can be the cause of the iol displacement. although nd: yag capsulotomy is a safe treatment for pco but anterior displacement of iol can lead to a myopic change in refraction. therefore glass prescription should be withheld until this change has stabilized.