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Blue light-filtering IOL mitigates glare, boosts safety in simulated driving test
J Cataract Refract Surg. 2011;37(1):38-44.
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A blue light-filtering acrylic IOL minimized the effects of glare and improved performance in a driving simulation, a study showed.
Conventional IOL designs filter harmful ultraviolet radiation from ambient light. Some newer designs also filter blue light, the study authors said.
"This technology provides an additional benefit of filtering lower wavelength light (blue light), which is specifically known to contribute to forward intraocular scatter," they said.
The prospective study included 34 patients. Seventeen patients received an AcrySof Natural SN60AT acrylic IOL (Alcon) with blue light-filtering technology. A comparator group comprised 17 patients who received an AcrySof SA60AT acrylic IOL (Alcon) with no filter for blue light.
Patients performed left turns against oncoming traffic in a driving simulation with and without a glare source that mimicked low-angle sunlight. Investigators calculated the safety margin, or the difference between time taken to complete a left turn and time before colliding with opposing traffic, with and without glare.
Data showed a mean safety margin with glare of 2.534 seconds in the study group and 2.116 seconds in the control group; the safety margin was statistically significant greater in the study group (P < .05). The study group had a significantly lower susceptibility to glare than controls (P < .002). The control group was significantly more likely than the study group to have a collision amid glare (P < .05), the authors reported.