Objective      To investigate the changes of macular retinal thickness in patients with diabetes after phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation by optical coherence tomography.       Methods      Fifty-nine patients (96 eyes) who underwent cataract surgery in our hospital from June to December in 2012 were recruited. The patients without diabetes were enrolled as group A (18 cases

33 eyes)

the patients with diab

etes but without diabetic retinopathy were enrolled as group B (19 cases

31 eyes)

and the patients with diabetic retinopathy were enrolled as group C (22 cases

32 eyes). The corrected visual acuity was compared among the three groups before and after operation

and the retinal thickness in macular area was compared among the three groups before operation

and at 1 day

1 week and 1 month after operation.       Results      The corrected visual acuity showed no significant difference among the three groups before operation. For patients with best corrected visual acuity≥0.5 at 1 month after operation

there were 31 eyes (94％) in group A

28 eyes (90％) in group B

and 22 eyes (69％) in group C. The difference between group A and group B was not statistically significant (

P

0.05)

while group C showed significant difference as compared with group A and group B (

P

0.05). Foveal region: Compared with that before operation

there was no significant difference in retinal thickness in group A and group B at 1 day

1 week and 1 month after operation (

P

0.05). Compared with that before operation

there was no significant difference in retinal thickness in group C at 1 day and 1 week after operation (

P

0.05)

but there was significant difference in retinal thickness in group C at 1 month after operation (

P

0.05). Inner circle and outer circle: Compared with that before operation

there was no significant difference in retinal thickness in the three groups at 1 day

1 week and 1 month after operation (

P

0.05).       Conclusion      Although the patients with diabetic retinopathy are given appropriate anti-inflammatory treatment after cataract surgery

the postoperative retinal thickness increases

and the thickness of macular foveal region changes significantly

suggesting that diabetic retinopathy is the risk factor of mucular edema after catarat surgery.