AIM:To study the refractive status characteristics aftser cataract surgery and the correlation between preoperative anterior chamber depth(ACD)and refractive status.

METHODS: Ninety-six cases of patients with cataract were randomly divided into two groups. The patients in phacoemulsification group were treated with phacoemulsification combined intraocular lens(IOL)implantation while the patients in small incision group were treated by small incision extracapsular cataract extraction combined with IOL implantation. Changes in ACD and postoperative refractive status and refractive fully corrected value were counted and the correlation of them were analyzed.

RESULTS: ACD of the phacoemulsification group s deepened 0.74mm while that of the small incision group deepened 0.78mm after treatment and there was no significant difference(P>0.05). After operation, the ACD of two groups significantly deepened(P<0.05). The postoperative visual acuity of two groups were significantly better than the uncorrected visual acuity of two groups(P<0.05). The postoperative refraction of two groups patients were mainly 0 ～+1.0D(41.67% and 54.16%)and +1.25～+2.0D(43.75% and 33.33%)(P>0.05).

CONCLUSION: ACD is significant deepened after operation. Surgeon needs full consideration of changes to improve the refractive IOL calculation accuracy.