• The Korean Journal of Vision Science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.497-504
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• 2018

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the temperature changes of the ocular surface before and after cataract surgery using thermography of a thermal imaging camera. Methods : The study included 75 patients (75 eyes) aged from 50 to 79 years who underwent cataract surgery. In the past, those who underwent corneal-related surgery, wearing contact lens, disorder of tear secretion and taking medication for systemic disease were excluded from this study. The temperature changes of the eyeball surface were measured using a thermal imager (Cox CX series, Answer, Korea) following Tear Break Up Time (TBUT) test, Mcmonnies questionnaire and Schirmer's Test in real time, Results : While the temperature of preoperative ocular surface was $35.20{\pm}0.54^{\circ}C$ and that of postoperative temperature was $35.30{\pm}0.53^{\circ}C$, the difference was not significant. The temperature changes in the ocular surface were statistically significant at $-0.12{\pm}0.08{\Delta}$ ($^{\circ}C/sec$) before the surgery and $-0.18{\pm}0.07{\Delta}$ ($^{\circ}C/sec$) after the surgery. In comparison of the age groups, it was shown that the changes in the surface temperature before the surgery were from $-0.19{\pm}0.05{\Delta}$ ($^{\circ}C/sec$) to $-0.14{\pm}0.09{\Delta}$ ($^{\circ}C/sec$) in the 50s group, and from $-0.12{\pm}0.08{\Delta}$ ($^{\circ}C/sec$) to $-0.15{\pm}0.07{\Delta}$ ($^{\circ}C/sec$) in 60s group, and $-0.18{\pm}0.07{\Delta}$ ($^{\circ}C$) to $-0.12{\pm}0.08{\Delta}/sec$) in the 70s group, showing significant changes in the ocular surface temperature at all ages. Conclusion : Following the cataract surgery, all the indicators of dry eye syndrome were decreased, and eye surface temperature changes were significant. The thermography technique of the ocular surface would be expected to be useful for the evaluation of various dry eye syndromes because it is easy to evaluate dry eye syndrome noninvasively and can be quantified.