Influence of age on visual function of eyes with cataract

Abstract

Purpose : To investigate a correlation between visual function and age in eyes with cataracts per opacity type.

Methods : Of participants of Monzen Eye Study, an epidemiological study of ocular disease in residents of Monzen town, Ishikawa, and patients for cataract surgery at Kanazawa Medical University Hospital from 2006 to 2013, 1008 eyes of 886 subjects were examined for cortical cataract with central opacity (COR(CEN+)), cortical cataract without central opacity (COR(CEN-)), nuclear cataract (NUC), posterior sub-capsular cataract (PSC), retrodots (RD), waterclefts in the central area (WC(CEN+)), and the peripheral area (WC(CEN-)). Cases with ocular disease except for refractive error were excluded. Contrast visual acuity (CA) was measured by CAT2000 (NEITZ) under 25% contrast of day and evening light. Ocular total higher-order aberration (HOA) and spherical aberration were examined by Wavefront Analyzer (KR-9000PW: TOPCON), and axial length by IOL-Master (ZEISS). One examiner classified COR, NUC and PSC by WHO system and RD and WC by Kanazawa Medical University system with maximum pupil dilatation.

Results : CA under 25% daylight was decreased with age in eyes with COR(CEN-), Grade 1-2 COR(CEN+), and Grade 1-2 RD (p<0.05). CA under 25% evening light in younger- was worse than that in elderly-age eyes with Grade 1 NUC (p<0.05). In eyes with Grade 1 NUC, there were a positive correlation between age and spherical aberration and a negative correlation between age and axial length, both significantly (p<0.05). In PSC and both of WC(CEN-/+), there was no significant correlation between age and CA under 25% day/evening light. With aging, CA under 25% daylight decreased most in eyes with Grade 1 RD.

Conclusions : Visual function was decreased with aging in eyes with the same grade of COR and RD, and was worse in younger age with NUC. It is necessary to consider the influence of age for indication of cataract surgery.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.