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Aspheric IOL yields fewer spherical, higher-order aberrations
J Refract Surg. 2008;24(8):811-816.
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An aspheric hydrophobic IOL produced significantly fewer ocular spherical and higher-order aberrations than a spherical IOL in a study.
Twenty eyes were implanted with the AcrySof IQ (Alcon), and 20 eyes were implanted with the AcrySof Natural (Alcon).
Postoperatively, the AcrySof IQ group had a mean spherical equivalent refraction of 0.24 D; the AcrySof Natural group had a mean spherical equivalent of 0.31 D. Spherical aberrations and higher-order aberrations were statistically significantly lower in the AcrySof IQ group ( P <.01).
In the AcrySof IQ group, 85% of patients attained best corrected visual acuity of 20/20 or better; 60% of patients in the AcrySof Natural group saw 20/20 or better.
“Future studies should consider distance and near vision examinations under low lighting conditions to assess the role of the spherical aberration reduction on the visual performance implanted with [the AcrySof IQ],” the study authors said.
As expected from previous research, implantation of an aspheric IOL reduces total ocular spherical aberration compared to implantation of a spherical IOL. Also as expected, there is no difference in the high-contrast visual acuity achieved by patients.
The use of aspheric IOLs is growing because conventional wisdom now accepts that the quality of vision with these optical designs is superior for most patients. The next step is customized selection of aspheric IOLs based on the preoperative corneal wavefront.
– Mark Packer, MD, FACS
Cataract surgeon, Dr. Fine, Hoffman & Packer, Eugene, Ore.