Abstract
Purpose:
It has been shown that the biggest dissatisfier for uncomplicated cataract surgery patients is pseudophakic dysphotopsia (PD). While edge design of an intraocular lens (IOL) impacts this problem, refractive index is still controversial as to its impact. This study was designed to determine the role of increasing refractive index on PD.
Methods:
This study was conducted at the John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, US. A retrospective chart review identified patients who received one of two hydrophobic acrylic single piece IOLs (AcrySof WF SP [ZCB00] or Tecnis SP [SN60WF]), which differed mainly by refractive index (1.55 vs 1.47). Patients were included if the surgery had been uncomplicated and took place at least a year before study participation. All eligible patients had 20/20 best corrected vision, without any disease known to impact visual quality. In addition to conducting a record review, the enrolled patients were surveyed for PD, using a modified National Eye Institute Visual Function questionnaire, as well as for overall satisfaction with visual quality.
Results:
Statistical analysis demonstrated PD was 2.98 with wide standard deviation of 4.8 (scale 0-18) via the modified NEIVF.
Conclusions:
The study suggests that with the two IOLs assessed, in statistical analysis wide variation occurs within lower values but maintains stability and no statistical significance in either group.