Wavefront sensing detects aberration differences between IOLs, incisions

Wavefront analysis of eyes with and without cataract surgery found significant differences in the levels of aberrations between rigid and foldable IOLs and between scleral and corneal incisions.

Researchers in the study suggested that wavefront sensing should be a main outcome measure when studying the optical performance of IOLs, rather than visual measures, “which are readily confounded by multiple factors.”

Konrad Pesudovs, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, studied 74 patients to determine whether Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensing could detect differences in optical and visual performance in vivo between PMMA and foldable acrylic IOLs and between clear corneal and scleral tunnel incisions. Of 74 participants, 17 were phakic with no ocular pathology, 20 had been implanted with a Pharmacia PMMA IOL through a scleral tunnel incision, 21 had been implanted with an Alcon AcrySof IOL through a scleral tunnel incision, and 16 were implanted with the AcrySof through a corneal incision.

Significant differences were found between the groups in total wavefront aberrations over a 6 mm pupil (P < .05). The PMMA/scleral-incision group had the fewest aberrations, while the AcrySof/corneal-incision group had the most. With a 3.5-mm pupil diameter, higher-order wavefront aberrations were not significantly different between the groups.

Corneal shape, visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were not different between the two groups.

The study is published in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.