Visual Performance With New IOL That Simultaneously Corrects Spherical Aberration and Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration
Narrative Responses:
Purpose
Simulations have shown that the correction of spherical aberration (SA) and longitudinal chromatic aberration (LCA) provides improved visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to determine the visual performance of cataract patients implanted with IOLs that correct both SA and LCA measured in a clinical setting.
Methods
In a prospective, subject-masked, paired-eye, randomized multicenter clinical study, 20 subjects with uncomplicated bilateral cataracts underwent cataract surgery. A monofocal diffractive IOL that corrected both LCA and SA (IOL1) was implanted in one eye, while a monofocal IOL correcting SA only (IOL2) was implanted in the other eye. Both IOLs had a CE mark, were made from high refractive index silicone, and had the same mechanical platform. The lenses differed only in their mechanisms for aberration correction. Visual performance of each eye was tested at 1 month and 3 months postoperatively.
Results
Average BCVA for IOL1 eyes was -0.06 logMAR at three months while average BCVA for IOL2 eyes was -0.02 logMAR at three months. IOL1 gave better VA results at both visits, but no statistically significant difference was found for this population size. The subjects with high-contrast VA≤0.0 logMAR (n=13) showed a higher gain in visual acuity (p<0.05). This is consistent with experiments showing that correction of LCA has a more positive effect on visual quality when monochromatic aberrations are also corrected. Contrast acuity was better for eyes having IOL1 for all contrast levels.
Conclusion
The clinical data suggest that combined correction of longitudinal chromatic aberration and spherical aberration may have a positive effect on visual performance. The results are in agreement with previous studies performed using optical simulations, as well as subjective testing performed using a vision simulator.